awning which eventually blew away. >> all of a sudden we just saw this debris flying at us. some bust my window and the back of the truck actually was lifted. >> in missouri, heavy gusts of wind and rain barrelled through the st. louis suburbs of sullivan and hazelwood. >> i have reports of maybe 101 miles an hour winds. i don't know if it was a tornado. about 50 families displaced at this time. >> fire officials say there were only minor injuries and many are thankful to be alive. >> the wind picked my car up and brought it through this area and turned it around. now it's headed in that direction. >> i was terrified. i've never in my life been through anything like that. >> and that was kark in little rock reporting. and al's going to have much more on those storms and what we expect today in just a moment. also this morning, we're following that tense situation in north korea and an expected missile test. nbc's chief foreign

correspondent richard engel is monitoring the situation for us from seoul. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie, secretary kerry arrives here tomorrow. he'll also visit china and japan. and it's likely while he's in the region, north korea will carry out this missile test seen here as a provocation. while most of asia and u.s. forces in the region are on alert, pyongyang is preparing for a party, decorating the streets even as it threatens nuclear war. it was one year ago today that kim jong-un came to power. we were there to witness his first speech, praising the military. for the parades and the rollouts of military hardware. since then, kim has proven to be more reckless than his father

kim jong-il. analysts suggest he may be trying to prove himself to his generals. more parades are expected this weekend. a widely anticipated missile test could be part of them. there is another way to look at this crisis. unlike south korea, which has a modern economy, north korea barely exports anything except missile and nuclear technology. and experts here say the missile test is also something of a product demonstration for rogue states that want to buy. >> reporter: last year, iran and north korea agreed to cooperate in science and technology. u.s. military officials believe the two collaborate on their nuclear programs. >> north korea has gone out of its way to be a model of how to acquire, how to test nuclear weapons, and it can be a model of misbehavior by any future nuclear road. >> north korea shows off the weapons for prestige and to be taken seriously. but also it seems for cash. >> reporter: north korea has sold missiles to iran, helped

syria build a nuclear reactor until israel blew it up. the question this crisis is raising is what can the u.s. do about it? natalie? >> richard engel there in seoul, south korea. thanks. >> and new details this morning on the dramatic end to a scary hostage situation that took place just outside atlanta. tamron's here with more on that. good morning. >> good morning matt and natalie. a huge sigh of relief for four firefighters safe this morning after a tense standoff. let's get right to nbc's gabe gutierrez with the latest from georgia. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: tamron, this morning, all the firefighters taken hostage have been treated and released from the hospital. the gunman had financial issues. but today they're investigating exactly what led to this four-hour standoff. >> we're in a situation where we have an armed person. >> the radio call was dramatic. five firefighters responding to what seemed to be a routine medical emergency.

suddenly the rescuers were the ones who needed rescuing. >> he is armed and we are in the room with him. >> a gunman taking hostages and making demands. >> these demands were to have his power turned back on. apparently going through financial problems. >> reporter: the four others waited inside, a tense standoff while the police hostage negotiator tried to calm the situation. then, suddenly, an explosion followed by the sound of gunfire. >> got to a point where we believe that their lives are in danger. >> a police s.w.a.t. team using a grenade to distract the gunman stormed in, it was over in seconds. the gunman dead, all the hostages rescued with minor injuries. >> late wednesday night, a joyous reunion back at the fire house. >> that's something that people in public safety prepare themselves for and hope never

comes. >> reporter: one police officer was shot in the hand during the rescue, he's expected to be just fine. police say the gunman is believed to have financial issues, property records show the home was in foreclosure, though, it is unclear exactly what role if any played. a recall for honda, toyota, nissan and mazda are recalling 3.4 million cars due to defect with the air bags. most of the recalled cars are from the model years 2001 to 2003. now to wall street, kayla tausche is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. good morning, kayla. >> good morning, tamron. top executives from major financial companies will meet with the president in washington today at a lobbyist conference. on the agenda, job creation and immigration reform. the stock market continues to push through all time record levels.

tamron? >> kayla, thank you very much. riddle me this. here's a question for you this morning. if a fisherman and a shark are competing for the same dinner, who wins? check out this video. it happens when the shark spots the tuna on isaac's line. the 500-pound tiger shark goes in for the kill. oh, there it is. isaac tries to reel back in his cash, but then the shark head butts the kayak and makes off with the tuna. don't feel too bad for isaac, he's alive. also, he managed to catch a few more fish. he's in a competition. but a close encounter with, dare i say jaws. it is 7:09. >> you're going to need a bigger boat as al would say, a kayak? >> this is why i have not learned to swim. >> don't you think there's a good reason we didn't play the audio from that tape, as well? >> he was a little shaken up, no doubt. >> thanks very much. as you can see, al is not here.

he's in los angeles this morning on the set of "the voice." al, good morning to you. >> hey, good morning, guys. we are getting ready for the battle round to talk about this. but, of course, we have really big weather going on. so we want to get to that right away. okay. first of all, as we told you, we had tornadoes touch down at least one tornado in arkansas. where that church was destroyed. but we've got all sorts of weather going on. we've got snow in texas where they had wrecks all over the place, big, big problems. and we've also got to worry about flooding in st. charles, minnesota. they are looking at flooding for the red river, that could be a big problem. and we have storm damage in wisconsin. appleton, wisconsin, seeing all sorts of damage from ice storms causing big power problems. and as we go live right now to minneapolis, this is the latest. here's what's happening. they're getting snow, they could be looking at some pretty heavy snow. we've got snow to talk about and severe weather, as well. here's the area of severe

weather we're looking at. and it is a wide area. stretching all the way from the gulf on up into central ohio. possibility of tornadoes, heavy downpou downpours, damaging winds and hail. look on the radar, you'll see it's firing up from texas to detroit. rainfall amounts with flash flood watches up from the lower mississippi river valley into the ohio river valley, 3 to 4 inches of rain. and the snow, the snow we just showed you in minneapolis, it is firing up. some areas in central wisconsin and eastern, northeastern minnesota will pick up 9 to 12 inches of snow. we're going to get to your local forecast in just a moment. but first, this message. hey there, henderson family. i'm your rav4 genie. your wish is my command. i wish the old spare tire was gone. out of everything in the...okay. [ snaps fingers ] oh no, i meant... i wish animals could talk. much better. i wish the old spare tire was gone. [ laughs ] next. i want you to avenge my father's death. [ all shouting ] i'm right... i'm right here! i said infinite wishes. i heard witches.

can i just have my first wish? [ fingers snap ] [ male announcer ] the all-new rav4. toyota. let's go places. good thursday morning. meteorologist, christina loren, showing 14 degrees cooler in places like fairfield. you will need that coat. temperatures this afternoon will drop off by 10-15 degrees. that means 73 in livermore down from 90. 66 in san francisco. tomorrow, warm you up into the upper 70s. this weekend, looks better for outdoor plans on saturday. >> back to your latest weather from lanes. another major story to watch today. the senate expected to hold its first crucial vote on gun control legislation. kelly o'donnell is nbc's capitol hill correspondent.

>> we are outside the capital this morning, just steps away from what's been a quiet vigil where families and survivors of gun violence have been reading the names of those, thousands of names, over many hours and they will keep going in what's become a round-the-clock countdown to today's first crucial vote. >> reporter: even as washington slept. >> eric thompson. >> cody thaker. >> judith thawenow. >> reporter: victims of gun violence were named here, name by name, against fierce resistance to new gun laws. >> you can pass all the laws that you want. the criminal element is going to sit back and small. >> reporter: pressure turning up on two senators breaking with the powerful gun lobby to expand background sales. >> i would ask my friend to take

our bill, put it online and let nra members, like myself, vote on it. >> surrounded by tearful new town families, could barely get out the words that he too is a father and grandfather. those families will spend a third day calling on senators and finding their way as advocates for more gun safety. bill shirlock's wife was the psychologist. she was a professional. for me to carry it on, i don't feel like i have a choice. >> i am not a lobbiest. i woke up december 14th just a mom. i'm still just a mom. >> senators told me they had been consulted with the nra

during their negotiations and had hoped the group would stay neutral on their peace, the background checks. that has not happened. the group is against it. they have notified lawmakers they will be evaluating and scoring votes during the gun process. that's how they can flex their influence over congress. chuck todd is nbc's political director matt. >> let's talk about the general numbers on gun control. right now according to our polling, 55% of americans want stricter laws. that's down from 61% three months ago right after the newtown shooting. but the real story is in the next numbers. look at the political divide. according to our nbc news "wall street journal" poll, 82% of democrats support tougher gun laws, only 27% of republicans, how are the democrats going to bridge that gap? >> well, and i would put -- you can use those percentages to say gun laws have about an 82% chance of getting through the senate and about a 27% chance of

getting through the republican house. i mean, i think that polarization is what makes this so difficult you can't figure out what the end game is here. yes, getting a conservative republican like pat toomey onboard is important, but i want to highlight another number that might convince some republicans to do this. look at the massive gender gap. it's as large as we've seen on any issue when it comes to stricter gun laws. 65% of women want stricter gun laws, 44% of men. if you make the argument to republicans, you had a problem with women voters in 2012, it's why you didn't win the presidency, if you want to continue to have problems with women voters, don't deal with this gun issue. if you want to try to women over suburban women, tackle it. >> let's turn to immigration reform. starting a campaign called immigration nation. we'll be talking about this issue on all of our broadcasts. our poll shows a growing trend in favor of general immigration over the years. 2005, it was 41% in favor, 2010,

47%, now 54%, a strong move in the direction of immigration acceptance. what's driving it? >> well, what's remarkable about it, you see this move in that direction at a time of economic anxiety in the past when the economy was in a bad place for many americans like it is today. the idea of immigration actually becomes unpopular because there's this fear they're going to take away jobs. but the other interesting part of our poll, you see the path to how this gets done. we asked about the idea, the big sticking point is the path to citizenship. and there is a little bit of a polarizing divide there while a large majority are in favor of the path to citizenship, for those folks here illegally, a majority of republicans do not want it. but when you tell folks that there will be penalties for these people that are here illegally, they'll have to pay a fine, they'll have to learn english, and then there is a path to citizenship, then even republican support grows. bottom line, matt, there's a path to get this done. the politics of the country is not going to get in the way.

the only way it doesn't happen is if the politics of washington gets in the way. >> chuck todd in washington this morning where he should know, thank you very much. >> you got it. all right. now to the cicada invasion. if you live here on the east coast, get ready because after a 17-year hiatus, billions of cicadas are about to invade. >> they're going to come crawling out when the ground temperature reaches 64 degrees and when they do, watch out. here's nbc's chief environmental correspondent anne thompson. >> reporter: periodical cicadas coming back after a 17-year absence. a ritual, buzzing loudly with their siren songs of love. >> who is making all this noise? >> only the males make the noise. >> reporter: university of connecticut researcher says it's the male cicada's mating call. >> females don't make that sound. >> reporter: they respond to the racket with a wing flip that

sounds like this. even more annoying than the noise of the males are the numbers of both genders. >> the usual figure we like to quote is several million per acre. >> per acre? >> per acre. >> so we're talking billions and billions? >> yes, billions and billions. it's a lot of cicadas. >> reporter: they will infest the east coast from north carolina all the way up to new york and connecticut. for 17 years, the cicadas have fed under ground near the bases of trees. small holes in the dirt are the first sign of an invasion. >> what should they be looking for? >> they'll start to see something that looks a little bit like swiss cheese if they have cicadas. there'll be hundreds of holes like this. >> in about a four-week span, they'll emerge, shed their skins, become adults and mate. >> they're going to sing, fly to the tree tops. >> reporter: the females will lay eggs and both sexes die, but not before driving some people crazy.

>> how loud do these get? >> these cicadas, a chorus might get to about 90 or 100 decibels and that's comparable to a rock concert. >> trim the tree branches at your home so they don't get in your windows. >> in your house? oh, even worse. >> the last time, people were making soup and jewelry out of them. >> that's even better. >> lemonade out of lemons. the growing problem of swatting as ryan seacrest becomes the latest victim. and one grandma's priceless reaction to winning $40 million in the lottery.

still ahead, a warning if your teen needs a dress for the prom. scam artists targeting teens with fake designer dresses. also ahead, why the new

mexico barbie has some groups upset. but first, we've got your local news and weather. ♪ ♪ ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah ♪ ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah ♪ i love ya ♪ ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah [ female announcer ] special k popcorn chips. with 28 delicious chips for 120 calories, you can bring the flavor of the movies home and still stay on track. freedom to enjoy. what will you gain when you lose? find them in the cracker aisle. ♪ sunlight says get up and go ♪ mountain-grown aroma coming through ♪ ♪ a new challenge waits for you ♪

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the driver ended up taking off still on the loose. chp says the car was stolen out of mo ddesto. robberies suspects caught on camera holding a gun to a grocery store owner's head. they could be responsible for a spree of crimes. the two men seen on surveillance robbing a grocery outlet an firing a shot into the ceiling are responsible for a total of seven robberies since january. police say the suspects are targeting large stores, like grocery outlets and home depot. in antioch, about 200 students being tested for tuberculosis at deer valley high school. they are testing students that came too in came into contact with another student. this marks the first case of a contra costa school campus in four years. let's check things out weatherwise. christina loren, here with our thursday forecast.

good morning. this is what happens. we have a seabreeze. picking up strong winds in novato, west, 15 miles per hour. temperatures down right comfortable from yesterday's highs. near record warmth in the east bay. we hit almost 90. the mid-70s return. let's take a look at your drive. also, a smooth-flowing 110 right here underneath the 680/280 i interchange. we do see your northbound routes with typical slowing. north 680 has recovered very nicely over the last half hour. after the crash. south through fremont, 880 slows out of hayward down past the san mateo bridge. causes more slowing headed

toward 880 returning to the "today" show. [ female announcer ] made just a little sweeter... because all these whole grains aren't healthy unless you actually eat them ♪ multigrain cheerios. also available in delicious peanut butter. healthy never tasted so sweet.

♪ the one and only, cheerios no. >> yeah. >> this is not happening. oh my god. >> here's a question for you, how would you feel if your groom to be surprised you with a wedding long before your planned day. well, brandon casada was brave

enough to try it much to the shock of his fiancee. some brides to be would've said this is not happening. apparently it went well with them because they're both here to share their story. we'll be talking with them in a little while. >> just recently married this weekend. congrats to them. 7:30 now on a thursday morning, april 11th, 2013. i'm matt lauer alongside natalie morales who is filling in for savannah this week. also ahead, are scammers targeting your kids' prom. we have a warning for parents about to shell out big bucks for a gown. certainly is prom season. something a lot of parents want to watch and pay attention to. and another segment important for parents and teenagers. as the college admission process heats up. coming up, going to sit down with three deans of admission from across the country. they'll answer all the questions you have about wait lists, acceptance, financial aid, all those things coming up. all right. but let's begin this half hour with the growing problem of so-called swatting in los

angeles. the latest victim of the hoax 911 call is ryan seacrest. diana, good morning. >> natalie, good morning. los angeles authorities say each of these calls cost an average of $10,000 in wasted police resources. now, a state senator says it's time the culprits shoulder the cost. >> reporter: this was the scene of a major police response. the home of ryan seacrest after a caller reported a break-in in progress. it was a false alarm, the latest incident of what's called s.w.a.t.ing. names of the s.w.a.t.-team type response that these hoax 911 calls prompt. last friday, police were called to the homes of selina gomez and justin timberlake. >> one is a drain on law enforcement resources. each incident costs several thousand to over $10,000. and second, the danger this puts on law enforcement and citizens in. >> tuesday, california state

senator ted liu introduced a bill requiring the people behind the gangs to pay all costs associated with the crime. he fears without increased penalties. >> it could be injury or death. >> reporter: it's happening more and more. last week rihanna and sean combs were targeted. before them tom cruise, charlie sheen, and miley cyrus. so far, authorities did charge at least one person in past incidents involving ashton kutcher and justin bieber. a 12-year-old boy who last month admitted in court to making the call. >> and police are taking some protective measures. they're training emergency dispatchers to better detect false calls and sending less patrol cars. natalie? >> all right. diana, thank you. al has left us for the lure

of show business. he's on the set of "the voice" this morning. al? >> hey, guys, yeah. i've got to tell you, this set is as impressive as it looks on tv in person. it is huge. i mean, this thing is massive. you've got hundreds of seats in the audience, of course. the judges chairs right over there. got live band set-ups over here. and, of course, the giant hand. yes, with the microphone. we love it. okay. let's show you what's going on right now. and we're going to talk more about this and talk to a couple of the former contestants a little bit later on. here's what we had yesterday. hartford, 67, new york city, excuse me, 74. philadelphia and allentown setting record temperatures. front pushes through and, boom, look at these temperatures this morning. highs today, 52 hartford, boston, 46, allentown, 63, philadelphia will be 70. rest of the country as far as highs are concerned.

the only heat you're going to find is going to be in the southwest with temperatures in the 80s and 90s. 80s along the eastern seaboard, southeast into the gulf coast, cool in the plains. that's what's going on 7:34 on a thursday morning. good morning. i'm meteorologist, christina loren. taking a live look from high-atop our san bruno cam. we have low clouds lurking in the distance. our camera shaking a bit. some wind out there. take it easy. overall, a little disturbance. crossing to the north. dropping our temperature substantially by 14 degrees in some cases. 75 degrees in fairfield. down from 85 yesterday. 69 in fremont. 66 in san francisco. coming up in the next half hour, not only will we have more weather, but talk to one of the former contestants of the number one singing show competition in the country and find out how it's changed her life. matt? >> we'll see you in a couple of minutes. thank you for that. meanwhile, this morning on

rossen reports. with prom season approaching, there are scammers out there and they're ruining that big night. today jeff rossen is here with more on that. >> is nothing sacred anymore? now they're going after prom. we've told you about scammers, of course, selling fake electronics and handbags and the list goes on. now these scammers are targeting the prom, fooling teenage girls with fake designer dresses, charging hundreds of dollars for gowns that literally fall apart right in your hands. before your kids go dress shopping, you have to see what we found. >> it's prom season, and for the girls, it's all about the dress. >> prom is the oscars to a high school kid. >> high-end labels sell for hundreds of dollars. a ton of money for most high school kids and their parents. >> yeah, i like it. >> which is why they're always looking for the best deal. >> is this your dress?

>> now brazen scammers are cashing in on their excitement. check out these websites. a teen girl's dream. designer prom gowns at deep discounts. these sites sure look real. but designers say it's all a scam. >> at least three to four times a week we're faced with girls who have been scammed by online websites. >> it was bad. the dress was a hot mess. >> that's alexandra, she just wanted a sherri hill dress. >> i was working for months to save up the money. >> she found the perfect dress in the store it costs $400. alexandra found it online for 25% off. and ordered it on the spot. >> my immediate response was, oh my gosh, the dress i love, it's beautiful and a great price, it's going to make mom happy too. so here's the dress.

>> but just a week before prom, what she got in the mail was misery in a box. a cheap knockoff mailed from china. remember, this is what the real dress looks like, and this is what she got. wrong color. >> it was supposed to be all blue. >> wrong fabric. >> the lining is so itchy. >> sloppy stitching and way too big. >> the dress feels cheap and i feel like i look cheap in it. >> in the photo, look at all those pretty beads. instead, her dress came with a baggy of beads and a sewing kit. >> i took a step back and i said, do they expect me to sew this on? i'm a teenage girl, i do not know how to sew. >> all her money gone, now scam artists are shipping imposter prom gowns to girls across the country. look at this shoddy stitching, the dress is falling apart and this beading looks like an arts and craft project.

>> looks mike 7-year-old could make that. >> she could probably do better. >> dusty hill is the son of the real sherri hill and president of the company trying to intercept the fakes. >> it's a huge problem and growing. >> so huge, the company has hired two full-time investigators to hunt down the counterfeit sites. >> this is a fake website? >> yeah, this is a fake website, but they're using authentic pictures. they take it off google images and upload it to the site and pretend it's our dresses. >> i've covered a lot of stories about fake sites. >> this is not a problem we're going to be able to fix. it's going to be an ongoing fight. >> the federal government has shut down hundreds of these sites. but the scammers are tough to catch. many of them based overseas. good luck getting your money back. and those priceless prom memories. >> when i put the dress on, i didn't feel beautiful, and you're supposed to feel beautiful at prom. >> can't get over that baggy of

beads. alexandra never got her money back. at the last minute, she had to go to a store and buy a new dress and spend hundreds more. how do you protect yourself? call the company that makes the dress and ask, look, i'm on this website right now, is this an authorized dealer? they're happy to tell you. many of the top prom dress designers have a list of authorized retailers right on their website so you can go there and check it out before you go shopping for your prom dress, matt. >> thank you. do they do it with prom tuxes? did you ever see the tux i wore back in 1923? >> i'd love to find a picture. up next, an eye opener if you're taking popular prescription drugs. what they're really doing to your brain right after this. and those are my final four picks. now over to you charles???? sir charles' single miles card left him blacked out. he's coming to us from home. that's gotta be traveling. now instead of covering the final four, he's stuck covering fourth graders. brick! bobby is 1 for 36. mikey? he keeps taking these low-percentage shots.

and julio? i don't know what julio's doing. next time get the capital one venture card and fly any airline any time. what's in your wallet? can you get me mr. baldwin's autograph? get lost, kid.

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>> this is drugs. this is your brain on drugs. any questions? >> of course, they were talking about illegal drugs. but what about the effects of prescription pills? dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical editor. good morning. >> good morning. >> we're going to do a little science here with what happens with the brain. let's talk about sleeping pills. a lot of us take them from time to time to help us go to sleep. >> and a lot of people take them every single day. you should be aware of what it's doing to your brain. when your brain is awake all the time and the awake brain is firing on all cylinders and it is awake and firing because it's conscious of what's going on in your environment and if you look at it, all the sparkles are what you're seeing, your alertness, what's in the environment. but this area, the red area now you have a sleeping brain. that red area is an area that stays away no matter what because it controls your heart

and your lungs and basically your normal breathing. but if you look at them side by side, the problem is if you don't know how long that sleeping pill's going to last, that tingly alert brain when you wake up in the morning and expect it may, in fact, may be that asleep brain. and that's when you get into trouble because they affect all parts of the body with dizziness, instability, you get in the car, can't drive straight and you have an accident. so real reminder that the sleeping pills turn off your brain but can affect your entire body. >> let's talk about prescription painkillers. >> sure. >> we now know takes the lives of more americans than heroin and cocaine combined. >> that's right. >> when you take a painkiller. >> back pain, you want it for your back and then the medication goes right to these two reward centers. and that's all the codeines morphines, that are addicting. they go to the reward centers, but those are the same reward centers that light up when you're on cocaine, cigarettes, sex, gambling, all those reward

centers we talk about. the problem is, they get fatigued. so after a while if it's working that medication comes down and you see the back gets very quiet and the pain goes away. that's if you use it as prescribed and for the right amount of time. but if you fatigue your brain, what's going to happen is you're going to have medication come down and you know what, it's going to take more and more and more and more to take care of that spot and that's when you become an addict. >> and you develop a tolerance over time, as well, for those drugs. well, great information. a lot more we'll talk about next time. thank you. and still to come this morning, how would you react to winning the lottery? one grandmother's unforgettable reaction. as your life changes, fidelity is there for your personal economy, helping you readjust along the way, refocus as careers change and kids head off to college,

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this spring, dig in and save. that's nice. post it. already did. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. dig in and save with miracle-gro potting mix, a special buy at two bags for just $10. we're back now at 7:50 with a lottery winner we don't think you'll be able to forget because of the way she reacted to her good fortune. >> i was like this shaky and i said, oh my god. oh my god! >> this is what it looks like to become an instant millionaire. >> thank you lord! >> initially she was excited about winning $40,000 in canada's lotto max drawing until she told her daughter. >> and she checked the computer. she goes, mami, you're $40 million richer.

>> that excitement quickly accelera accelerated. >> running down the street like a crazy woman and checked the lottery ticket and it said $40 million. and then i go, oh my god and i ran back up the street, home, and then i go i need a glass of water. >> the 51-year-old grandmother of five plans on buying a new home for herself and both of her two daughters. >> it hasn't sunk in that my dad worked so hard and we've been struggling so much. $40 million. >> in addition to homes and cars, maria has a more pressing matter. >> i'm going to go for dinner with my whole family. mandarin. all you can eat. >> all you can eat. >> going to go a long way too. you'll be able to eat a lot for $40 million. >> might want to take it easy. >> congratulations to her. still ahead, a bold and very brave move.

a groom to be who surprised his fiancee with a surprise wedding. >> we'll see how his bride feels about that coming up after your local news and weather. oh, steer clear of kristen, she can't control herself around chocolate. she'll devour you. really? yeah, uh, thanks for introducing us. anything for a friend. ooh, strong grip! ow! ♪ blast of cold feels nice. why don't you use bengay zero degrees?

it's the one you store in the freezer. same medicated pain reliever used by physical therapists. that's chilly! [ male announcer ] bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on. [ male announcer ] bengay zero degrees. you see the "mini" ion my chest? funny, yes? no. there's nothing mini about me. i'm huge. ahem. any hoo. even my wrapper has a wrapper. flavor? i'm bursting with it. creamy? i ooze it. quality like this... (muffled):...doesn't come everyday. well technically it does because i'm in the grocery but... ooh, how you doin'? rich. creamy. and 100% natural cheese. mini babybel. snack a little bigger. see lioutdoors, or in.ight. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses,

transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit. ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you. before the three- and four-star ratings... before local farmers and employees became secret ingredients... before rock star chefs were playing to packed houses every night... two restaurateurs sat down with our banker and transformed some chicago neighborhoods into culinary meccas. that's the power of connecting a vision into a recipe for success. that's bank of america. i'm here with daphne oz, a model of healthy habits. so daphene, do you eat activia. i do it's always in my fridge.

and you know activia isn't just for minor digestive issues. exactly, it's also important for my overall well being because it helps regulate my digestive system. and when you feel good on the inside, it shows on the outside! whether at work, with friends, on a special night, or just enjoying an activia. shine from the inside out with activia. ♪ dannon it is 7:56. good morning. a hail of gunfire erupted last night about 10:00 in the corner of mini drive and echo summit road. officers found two cars crashed and near the wreckage, two people shot and two others hit. they tried to run away but eventually collapsed about a block away. police say all four of the people are expected to be okay.

a convicted child molestster back behind bars after spotted working at a children's fair in san jose. he will spend 30 days in county jail for violating his probation. he admits to that violation but says he had a letter from the diocese allowing him to be at that fair. the diocese says the letter was not authorized and never should have been written. check things outside. not quite as warm as yesterday but christina loren said it will be pretty. >> it is. our natural a.c. off the pacific. take a live look from high atop san bruno. low clouds. our weathermaker, low pressure through overnight. the cool pacific air getting carried inland and as a result, our temperatures drop off by 10-15 degrees in some cases from yesterday's highs. 73 on the way to livermore.

down from 85 yesterday. 69, fremont today. just 66 degrees in san francisco. let's take a look at your morning rush-hour drive with mike inouye. >> the rush is on through oakland. the east bay in general. let's get a look at the maps. we'll show you the east shore freeway westbound. it is your typical commute made worse by crashes. one out of hercules. the other richmond, around carlson. south 880 slows out of hayward and down through san leandro. hey! did you know that honey nut cheerios

has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! ♪ wow. [ buzz ] delicious, right? yeah. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... ♪ well, would you look at the time...

what's the rush? bee happy. bee healthy. with clusters of flakes and o's. oh, ho ho... it's the honey sweetness. i...i mean, you...love. it's 8:00 now on a thursday morning. it's also the 11th day of april, 2009. kind of a breezy, slightly overcast day here in new york city. but it hasn't stopped. some nice people from gathering out on our plaza. and we're thankful to them for stopping by. meanwhile, on the plaza, i'm

matt lauer along with natalie morales. savannah is back next week. coming up, we're going to meet a guy i think you could label as extremely brave. >> he did something not a lot of men could venture to do. but with some help from his future in-laws, he surprised his fiancee with the wedding of her dreams months ahead of schedule. the happy couple are here to share their story. and she was happy about this. >> i think a lot of brides-to-be cherish of idea of planning that big day and they would have felt jiped. >> i was not one of those brides. i would have been happy with that. also, we're right in the middle of college admissions season. a lot of seniors have found out where they have been accepted and rejected. so we've got some top admissions deans from colleges across the country, and we're going to have some real practical advice. for example, if you were rejected to a school you want to go to, can you appeal that decision?

can you tell the college, please take another look? we've got their answers coming up. >> a lot of seniors in high school will be paying attention to that one. also a new way to pour the perfect glass of beer. you have to see this to believe it. it pours from the bottom up. i guess it gets the perfect pour every time. not bad. >> cheers. >> why would you need that? >> the chair comes with it. natalie is here, and that means tamron hall is at the news desk. violent spring storms have left a trail of damaged homes and downed power lines through arkansas and missouri. high winds and a tornado ripped through arkansas with enough force to flip over cars. fierce winds and heavy rain also pounded the suburbs of st. louis, missouri, leaving tens of thousands without electricity. however, there were no initial reports, thankfully, of any serious injuries. the world is watching north korea, thought to be on the

brink of a provocative missile test. today marks the one-year anniversary of kim jong un's rise to power in north korea. it's feared that launching a medium-range missile could be part of the celebration, and a chance for the new young leader to impress his generals. on wednesday, defense secretary chuck hagel said the u.s. was prepared to respond to any move made by pyongyang. secretary of state john kerry will be in south korea tomorrow as part of a wider tour of that region. the senate is voting today on whether to debate changing the nation's gun laws. a bipartisan bill unveiled wednesday would expand background checks for gun buyers to include sales at gun shows and online. the national rifle association opposes this senate bill, saying the focus should be on improving the nation's mental health system, and prosecuting violent criminals. in chicago, two robbers met more resistance than they probably expected, and it was all caught on tape. nbc's john yang has that story.

>> reporter: the two men waited for customers to leave, and then watch what happens. one of them grabs the owner's brother, who was just visiting, and pulls a gun. >> he was saying, give me the money or you're dead. >> reporter: the second man runs behind the counter to the open cash drawer. look closely, you can see the flash as the gun fires hitting the owner in the leg. but watch as he comes up swinging, literally, with a baseball bat. the gunman keeps shooting, at least nine more times, according to authorities, but misses. because customers are buzzed in and out, the gunman doubles back to hit the buzzer behind the counter and gets more of the owner's back. and the owner's brother races around the counter and nails him with a stool and chases him with a fighting irish extinguisher. the owner was released from the hospital sunday night. >> my dad told me to pray for them and to make sure that he's

fine, that he'll be ok. >> reporter: a store owner who decided enough was enough. nbc news, chicago. >> what a story. well, now for a look what's trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online. mattel's nod to diversity is getting some blowback online. some think it's culturally insensitive. mexico barbie comes with a pet chihuahua and has a passport, which some find offensive. and octomom nadya suleman is channelling angelina jolie's leg-bearing oscar pose in a magazine. she says her real life serving as a cook, chauffeur, and nanny

as 14 children is much harder than jolie's role as a mother of six. and how badly does this dog want a breath of fresh air? take a look. >> want to go out for the ball? >> all right. the simple joys of a four-legged life. just ask if you want to walk, and that's the reaction. it is now 8:05. let's check in with al for the weather from los angeles. you want to walk, al? >> i want to sit right now. we're here on the set of "the voice." we are joined by "the voice's" social media correspond, christina million. you have two new judges, shakira and usher.

>> i love the way they fit in instantly with blake and adam. and, i don't know, i love the way that they just help. shakira channels being the only one so well. and usher, i really think the people are responding to them. >> your background, you have best-selling albums, two grammy nominations. do you wonder what your career, what kind of a boost it would have gotten had you been on a show like "the voice"? >> absolutely. doing a show like this, i mean, there's millions of viewers. and people are really, really gravitating to the show. so as a young artist, if i was starting all over again, i totally would audition for "the voice." >> starting today, the battle rounds start. 24 rounds. >> yes. >> who do you like in the early -- >> in the early stages? i'm a big fan of a girl named taylor. she is on team usher. she's young. 17. beautiful voice.

but something about her is innocent. and i think that she's going to be really, really good for him to mould. i think he's good at molding and helping. she's willing to learn. >> we'll start to see the results on monday. christina, thank you so much. thank you, al. love that show. 8:07. taking a live look at the golden gate bridge. mostly clear conditions. but temperatures in the city running 9 degrees cooler than this time yesterday morning. temperatures later on today are going to end up about 15 degrees cooler than the record heat we had yesterday. 73 degrees in places like livermore. 69 in fremont. and 70 today in san jose. getting into the weekend, temperatures stay steady through saturday. then we drop off like a rock on sunday. >> that's a nice hat. >> you like this? >> i do. >> that's a nice hat. >> do you like this? blake shelton wanted me to give this to you. thought it would be quite fitting on you. get you in the mood for "the voice." >> matt, what do you think?

>> you look great, tex. you look really, really good. speaking of "the voice," we are being serenaded from the group by bonnie lake high school in new york state. nice to have you here, guys. when we come back, the groom who shocked his bride ahead of the wedding. we'll find out how he managed to pull it off. and then a new gadget for food lovers. that little one there helps you clean the junk off your grill. and is jennifer tager hav h boy or a girl? we'll test out some popular theories. but first, these messages. great, let's go get you set up... we need brushes... you should check out our workshops... push your color boundaries while staying well within your budget walls. i want to paint something else. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot.

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now, when you get married, you spend a long time agonizing over every detail of your wedding day. but brandon decided to surprise his bride to be with a ceremony months ahead of their scheduled date. she thought they were just going to take their bridal portrait. but when she arrived, she got the shock of her life. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. shut up, no. >> brandon is here along with his new wife, mary katherine. the expression was priceless. brandon, i think a lot of guys give you a lot of props for going into this territory. why did you decide you wanted to plan your wedding day this way? i know you had a lot of help from your now mother-in-law. >> yes, the reason was to reduce the stress on her. i've watched the show "bridezillas" and all that. >> not that she was becoming a

bridezilla. >> no, we wanted to take the stress off her and help her out with that. and we had a few family issues that we wanted certain people around for the wedding, as well. and that was a big deal to me as well as her family. worked out well. >> i know a lot of people advised you not to do it this way and a lot of people would tell you brides love to plan their weddings, did you have any doubts in your mind this was the best way to go? >> no, i didn't have any doubts, i would think about it in the back of my mind, no, it's okay. i had reassurance from her mother, as well. she was kind of my coach and all this and her brother was a big part of it too. >> and it's not that you didn't have a hand in this, you had your wedding dress picked out. it was just making the actual wedding day. >> exactly. >> you show up thinking you're going to this photo shoot, and i understand there was a little video that brandon you played to prepare her on her ipad that this was, in fact, going to be her wedding day. we have a short clip. >> come on in.

>> mary catherine, i want to say i love you, you're my life. there's going to be a lot of surprises today. for you. and i just want you to know i'm right there by your side. so i've decided let's get married today. >> so what was your reaction when you got there to the venue and you saw your whole family, everybody there ready for your wedding? >> i don't think i could process what was going on. i was so overwhelmed with love and he just -- i looked in his eyes and i just, everything just melted in my body and i was just so thrilled. my family is everything. >> and brandon, when you saw your beautiful bride walking down that aisle, what were you thinking? >> very, very nervous. when her brother gave us a thumbs up, i was like, yes. he always had that, what if

she's not ready. i knew she would say yes. worked out well. >> really quickly, our viewers on our polls who -- on our today.com viewers, we polled them and asked them, would you be happy if your fiance surprised you with a wedding. 74% said no, 26% said yes. what do you want to tell all those people out there? >> i'm on tv right now. >> it's okay. it happened. it's okay. it was beautiful. >> and you're happy about it. >> it was perfect. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> happy marriage to both of you. >> thank you. >> thank you for being here. enjoy your mini honeymoon. matt, over to you. the college admissions season is right now. it's in full swing, and with decision day fast approaching, a lot of family have important questions that will impact the lives of their children for the next four years. this morning, we have brought in real experts, university of michigan and dean of admissions ted spencer. hamilton college dean of admission monica inser, and director of admissions david

berge. welcome back. let's get into it, we have student mary smith. and she's been fortunate, she's been accepted to three different colleges. what's the best way to narrow it down and make the right choice? >> well, if you started the process correctly, you've decided that you want to go to a particular college because of the academic reputation. you've decided because of the social, the location, all those things. all three of those schools are great first-choice schools. you should then, if you don't get in number one, use the same criteria that you used to pick number one to go to the other two. >> what if it's the other side of the coin and you've been rejected to a school you really want to go to. can you get in touch with the admissions office and ask they take a second look? appeal the decision? >> rejection is really tough. it's -- for students, sometimes the first time they faced rejection in their lives and they're sad, feel like they've been kicked in the gut. they've got to pick themselves up. it's a great life lesson. they're taking cues from

parents. and i say invest the energy in looking at the places that you have been -- >> i get the message. she's saying if i want to go to your school and you reject me, i should accept it and go on. >> indeed. and i would echo the message that it's likely an opportunity and a moment for you to look at what you previously thought were your second and third choice institutions. once you do that, you see that maybe you begin to see them in a different light and more positive manner. >> if you've been accepted to two different universities or colleges, now in some ways, they're competing for you. they want you to come. you're an attractive student. how much leverage does that give the perspective student? >> well, it gives the perspective student a great deal of leverage. for the schools that don't have long wait lists. >> tell me why i should come to your university. >> if i want you, i'm going to say to you, look, we're excited about the opportunity that you're still interested in us. we may put a little bit more money in the financial aid package. or we may just contact you and say come and visit us.

>> well, i think the power shift -- the balance is off now. students had to wait for us for a long time to get decisions, now we have to wait for them. it's revenge on us. they should take every minute they have in april to make a thoughtful and informed decision. >> do you remember that students always visit a college or university before they decide to go there? >> it's a great idea. >> those who can't afford to take that trip. >> it's interesting, there's a lot of website collateral that students can research. for example, at arizona state, we have an admitted student social network so students can get to know other students in the decision state. >> let's talk about a financial and scheduling dilemma. you need to put down a deposit to hold a spot at a school that's accepted you. i think may 1st is usually the day for that. you also have to pay a fee to stay on a waitlist for a school that has put you on a waitlist. how timely a fashion will those schools let you know if you're going to make the wait list so you can decide if you have to put the deposit down at the

other school? >> wait lists are very difficult to manage. one of the reasons is, we never know whether or not we made the right prediction in the beginning of the year in terms of how many students will enroll. so the wait list can shift very easily just based on how many deposits we receive on the first. >> if one school offers a school financial aid, a nice package, and another school he or she wants to go to does not, can you go to that other school and say, look, i got this financial offer over here? >> you can, they won't always match offers, but sometimes we've missed something. if there's economic hardship, we want to hear about it, we want a chance to have the conversation and talk about value not just cost, as well. >> and at the end of the day, it's a family decision about which school, mom and dad can afford to send you. >> such an important decision that these students and families have to make right now. ted spencer, thank you, we're going to put more information on our website. nice to have you guys.

back to natalie. thanks. this is a day golf lovers wait for all day long. it's the opening round of the masters. and this time things are different. augusta national now has its first female members. former secretary of state condoleezza rice is one, and the other is darla moore who was once dubbed the toughest babe in business by "fortune" magazine. craig melvin has her story. >> it was humbling. exciting. it was a very big deal in one's life. >> darla moore is now one of the most famous members at golf's sacred place, but augusta, well, being augusta, there are no pictures of her playing there as she now does. she promises we're not missing much. >> well, my golf game needs work. >> reporter: moore has plenty of space to practice her swing in lake city, south carolina on the 300-acre plantation turned farm that's been in her family for six generations.

>> one of the original -- >> reporter: for the 58-year-old, life is much quieter these days. >> look at those faces. >> moore became a superstar in business and banking by helping companies teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. by the late '90s she was running the equity firm, and was "fortune" magazine's 19th most powerful woman in america. >> what dirt road you came from, you can compete, you can compete nationally. >> reporter: moore spent the '80s and '90s making more than $1 billion, but she's working to give it away, more than $100 million since 1998 and mostly to her alma mater, and not without occasional regret. >> i remember calling richard, my husband, and saying, richard, i think we may just thrown $29 million down a rat hole. >> when she worried her investment was being squandered, she took a more hands on

approach and decided to give $45 million. the business school now bears her name. not surprisingly, both parties routinely approach her to run for congress, senate and governor. >> at this point in my life, i have found the influence from the outside versus what i observe you can get done from the inside. is markedly different. >> no politics, but the philanthropy will continue. moore plans to give away all her money during her lifetime, but do not expect her to make waves for women at augusta. >> are you now going to push for more female members? >> i wouldn't think that would be something i would do. >> that surprises me coming from you. >> well, i'm very happy and very honored to be one of the first members. that wouldn't be my role there. i'm a member. i'm not an advocate, i'm a member. >> for "today," craig melvin, nbc news, lake city, south carolina. >> and we're out here on the plaza again wrapping up our

special series "try it today," great gadgets for food lovers. back with advice on this, hi, katie, nice to see you. >> hi. >> it's been fun all week, and now we're talking about something that would come in handy on my household on a morning. tell me about this thing. >> i'm not good at cooking, but i'm great at buying gadgets. >> okay. >> this is the ultimate breakfast sandwich. >> put it right inside. stacking your ingredients. i prefer a little meat on meat action. >> me too. >> roll that baby up. put the cheese on next. >> you stack the ingredients and then there's a little egg cooker here too. >> i made it -- >> no, you're good, the more ingredients. >> and you're going to put a little fork in here and mix it around. no problem, go ahead put the top on. >> that's it. >> like that. >> stack it. now i'll show you the reveal. you've got yourself a little breakfast sandwich maker.

and the little egg slides out when you're done. and you pop this off. >> okay. oh, my gosh -- >> and in five minutes, all the components go in at the same time. >> it's a really good sandwich. >> you have one in every room of the house. >> now, i love this. this is for the grill. >> these are grillbots, on preorder, brand new. one touch of a button, it'll clean your grill for five minutes. if you've got a dirtier grill, give it a double click, cleans it for seven minutes. >> on the bottom until it gets it super clean. >> this is unbelievable. >> willie, the ultimate man cave, bottoms up beer. all you've got to do is put that cup right there and put your hand up. >> ready for this? >> push it down. >> while you wait. >> why? why?

why do you need it to come out of the bottom? >> okay. >> you put it in the recliner, in the shower, anywhere in your home. >> you can put it in the shower? the bottoms up filler? >> come on, willie, come on. pressure. >> you don't want to put it in the toilet, though. >> that's not good. >> that is wild. i guess it's the perfect pour. >> katie, thank you so much. coming up, much more including these messages, your local news and weather right good morning. 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. a middle schoolteacher in concord is under investigation this morning for allegedly hitting a student during class. this is video claiming to show a teacher hitting at least one student.

the superintendent says it is a personnel issue and he cannot share specific details. however, in a statement, he told us, the teacher is on administrative leave as we investigate the matter and take all necessary steps to ensure our students have a safe, productive learning environment. no word if police are part of that investigation. time now to check the morning commute with mike. >> good morning. looking pretty bright right here in san jose. slow north 280 coming toward us on this shot. pretty standard. the map right here, coming across that screen, the red portion, that was coming toward us on the earlier camera shot. there's a crash clearing from downtown. north 880 slow on 101. peninsula, slowing for southbound 101 passing by san mateo bridge and past the dumbarton bridge, from palo alto to mountain view. >> thank you very much. another local news update for you in half an hour. enjoy this lovely day.

♪

♪ can't buy me love ♪ i can give you anything ♪ she loves you yeah yeah yeah ♪ ♪ all you need is love love i've got plenty of ♪ ♪ this thing i call love crazy little thing called love ♪ >> thursday morning, the 11th day of april, 2013. that is the performance from the ringmasters. they are the world's top-ranked barbershop quartet. and we're going to talk to them right now. good morning. how are you? >> hi. now, y'all are from sweden. we didn't know sweden was a hot bed of barbershop quartet guys. >> it's growing. >> growing in popularity? >> yeah.

growing all over the world, actually. and yeah, it's growing big in sweden. we have a good movement. and we've been seeing it. >> you guys are in your 20s and most people consider barbershop quartet musicians to be older. do you also have a love for other kind of musics? do you like hip hop, rap, that sort of thing? >> yeah. all types of musics. >> we listen to all types of musics. barbershop is an amazing hobby. >> and all age groups too. there's a youthfulness, but the whole span. >> well, you guys are fantastic. big competition coming up, i know, and it's fantastic to have you here on the stage. good luck. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> all right. fantastic. can we go over here? there's a sign here you may have noticed throughout the morning. it says just go with her, joe jonas, go to the formal with me. your name is shana and you're from pepperdine and you've done

this video online where you're trying to get him go to this dance with you. how is it going? >> -- my family and friends. >> but the formal is coming up. >> it's on saturday. >> so you've gotten great response from friends and family, but joe? >> not from joe yet. >> well, i think we have a little something. >> what you don't know after seeing your video online, joe jonas decided to get in touch with us and send us a little video. can you take a look? >> take a look. >> i have a proposition for you. on july 10th in chicago, illinois, i would like to fly you out, escort you to my concert. what do you think? >> shana -- now it's time for me

to do my part. please accept my invite. >> joe jonas inviting you to a concert as part of a tour which kicks off this weekend. >> oh, my. that's amazing. >> wow, i don't know what to say. that's awesome. >> so that's cool, you go to the concert, but you still have a dilemma. >> i still don't have a date, joe. >> for this saturday night. >> but you know what, i noticed this line over here, this guy is looking for a date for a concert in july. >> come on over. >> a love connection. >> what's your name? >> my name's ned. >> where are you from? >> why are you screaming? >> because it's joe jonas. >> can you take that off? >> that will be on ebay.

>> can i take this? >> there's a lot of stuff here. >> there's a lot of hair on. >> i have a hair net. >> joe jonas! >> i love your video. >> thank you. >> it's an amazing video and we watched it online. but i wanted to see if you wanted to go with me. we'll flip it a little bit. you go with me the opening night of the concert on july 10th. >> i would love to. >> yeah? >> awesome. perfect. >> you're busy, you cannot make it to the formal. >> i can't make it to the formal. instead, we'll take you. >> i guess it'll do. >> you two make a beautiful couple. i'm just saying. >> oh, all right. >> -- concert. >> he's very cool about this. but you did not know he was going to be here? >> of course not. no. >> well, the make-up looked a little -- i could tell. i could tell. >> bringing people together here

on the "today" show. joe, thank you so much. good luck with your concert tour. have fun at the concert. >> and by the way, tickets go on sale for that tour on saturday. let's go back out to los angeles and al roker. >> hey, thanks, guys. we are on the set of "the voice." and you recognize this young lady, vicky martinez, a finalist in season one, she's gone on to have a terrific career. her current single "come along" with her voice coach cee lo green in the top 20. you said earlier, when you did the battle rounds, there was blood on the floor. it was brutal. >> no mercy. no, i'm kidding. >> what advice would you give to some of the teams that are going to be battling here later today? >> you know, we -- my battle partner, we got great reviews because we really kind of just came on the stage and decided we were going to do a duet and make the song sound great.

and so it was really hard for cee lo at the end of it to decide who he wanted to pick. >> how did this change your life? >> oh, man, well, i'm here with you. it's just been such a great platform, you know, to get signed and, you know, to be releasing the video being in the top 20. i never -- it's something i wished for and never thought that, you know, it would happen this quickly. but i'm glad it did. >> vicky martinez, you're going to be watching those battle rounds coming up monday and tuesday of next week. congratulations on the success. >> thank you so much. >> quick look at your weather. show you quickly what's happening. for today, for tomorrow i should say as we look ahead toward the weekend, the strong storms along the mid-atlantic coast. rain in the northeast. icy conditions in new england, rain in the pacific northwest. for saturday, on your weekend, beautiful along the eastern seaboard, sunny and hot in the southwest. sunday, sunday, we expect to see more sunshine and cool weather, new england look for rain around the gulf coast, short, more showers moving into the mid

mississippi river valley and more showers in the pacific northwest with plenty of sunshine, southern california and the good thursday morning to you. meteorologist christina loren taking a live look, san francisco camera shakes from time to time as we have some winds out there. those winds are coming off the pacific. as a result, your temperatures are running a lot more on the cool side than this time yesterday. in fact, you're 9 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago in san francisco. as a result, we're going to be cooler this afternoon, only 65 degrees in san francisco. down from 80 yesterday. san jose will hit 70, down from 85 degrees yesterday. holding strong all the way through friday with the 70s. >> don't forget, any time you need that weather, go to weather.com online or the weather channel on cable. now, let's get our latest on the 100-year-olds with uncle willie in florida. >> happy birthday to happy birthday to the great state of florida, where the oranges grow. i mean everywhere, we just pick

them right off the trees. rinaldo dicenzo. 100 years old. he says the secret is to take naps. good boy. we love you. and we have carmel carleo in liverpool, new york, 100 years old today. gardens. i mean, gardens. grows beautiful tomatoes. you've never seen anything quite like it. and bernhard hesse from kingston, new york. 103 years old today. poker. has a bunch of guys every single friday, they get together and they play poker. here you go. edythe kirchmaier, 105 years

old. we're not sure, but we think she's the oldest lady to use facebook. and kenneth robinson. 100 years old today. and he is some kind of emailer. crazy email. a lot of older people love that. get a big kick out of it. then we haven ena burke. 106. every day she goes to church. back to you. thank you, willard. shana is still in shock, right? >> yes. >> joe jonas, you're such a good sport. thanks to him. jenna bush hager up next on whether she's having a boy or a girl. but first, this is "today" on --

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♪ ♪ you must have been a beautiful baby ♪ . >> this morning on today's baby bump, superstitions. we have all heard of the different ways of predicting a baby's gender. >> jenna bush hager has been very busy putting some of those superstitions to the test. good morning. >> good morning, guys. as my pregnancy comes to an end, henry and i are excited to finally meet our babe, and find out if we're having a boy or girl. of course, everyone's had their opinion, and even matt helped me figure out if these guesses have any truth to them. every pregnant woman remembers the many multiple myths of pregnancy. the cravings, the way you carry, and even the swinging crystal pendulum, all predicting the baby's gender. but can these age-old techniques really guess what's to come? >> i feel like you're having a boy. you're carrying a lot like i

carried both of mine. you're really high and all belly. if you believe that old wives tale -- you've heard a lot by now i'm sure. >> there's a lot. ally natalie pt /* /- >> natalie wanted to test some of them, and the best way to start -- >> this card is showing that she's got a child on the way, coming. i also feel that she's going to have more than one child. she's not just going to have a boy. there is going to be a girl. >> she's going to have a boy? >> so you think it's a boy? >> i'm feeling something, yeah. but i'm definitely sure you'll have a boy and a girl. >> with the inconclusive start behind us, we were off to the crystal healer. >> if the pendulum swings back and forth, it means a boy. take a couple of deep breaths. and it looks like it's swinging back and forth. and so that means boy.

>> it's a boy! >> chalk one up for the boys. but we still had one more stop. this clairvoyant reading, my wedding ring was analyzed. >> i'm holding an object of yours, so my body is actually getting involved. i'm seeing that it's a boy because it's in there, it's tucked in. >> like a little tucked in little -- >> so i would be right. >> she predicts a boy. >> natalie and friends seem to think boy. but we turned to a professional to find out the truth behind these superstitions. >> if you're having a boy you're carrying low? >> false. >> if you're having a boy, you're carrying up front? >> also false. >> if your nose is spreading, you're having a girl. >> i have heard that, but it is also not true. >> so there's really no way i can find out what this baby is except for an ultrasound? >> correct. >> forget the science. some of my colleagues wanted to join in on the guessing game. >> it's probably a girl.

unless it's a boy. >> unless you like pickles. and then it could be a boy or a girl. >> but if you like ice cream, then you're probably going to have a baby. >> and if you like tuna, it's a cat. >> what do you base it on? >> nothing, other than i think she's having a girl. >> why? >> i don't know. >> something about her. >> something just says girl. >> turn sideways for a second. all right. so you're carrying kind of right in the middle, right? if you were carrying lower, that's a yankee fan. if it's a little bit more compact and up, that's a red sox fan. >> it's a rangers fan. >> no, it's neither. >> well, i'm telling you, buddy, it will be a rangers fan. >> silly superstitions aside, it's clear this baby will be greatly loved. and maybe a texas rangers fan too. and just for the record, the rangers record as of now 16-3, while the yankees are 4-4. so i just want to say it seems this baby that hasn't even been born yet already has better taste in baseball than you.

>> very good. >> oh, wow. taking a shot. can you have this baby already? it's been the longest pregnancy in "the today show" history. >> matt said that the baby is going to be more work than the octomom. >> but i said that between you and me. [ laughter ] >> i'm just glad i'm not having pains now. >> we're all glad of that. >> we decided to hedge our bets here and cover our bases, literally, because we've got some little surprises for your rangers fan. >> that's too much! >> it is too much. >> it is too much, because i can't find it. there we go. texas rangers. >> oh, cute. thank you, guys. >> and there's a yankees in there. >> no. rangers. >> cute. >> good luck. note to self, never say anything to jenna you don't want repeated on the air. >> it's good, though. >> the thing is, i'll probably be back next week. i can't control when this baby comes. >> well, we love having you.

and we can't wait to meet baby boy or baby girl. >> thank you, guys. up next, bobby play and

♪ back at 8:49, spilling the beaning with two of our favorite chefs. they're here to answer your cooking questions. good morning. wow, that was a tough one giada. >> i'm a tough chick. >> i know that. >> we have a great question. something i've wondered myself. i can never get garlic to cook right. it either gets too burnt or not cooked enough. >> okay. what i like to do is i actually like to crush the garlic into a paste. see what i do is chop it coarsely and take some kosher salt and use it as an abrasive and take the side of my knife and crush it into a paste. what i want to happen is when i put it in olive oil, i want it to kind of melt away.

just disappear, but you have the flavor. giada does not like to do that. >> i don't want my fingers to smell that much. >> i'm with you on that. >> come on. >> i'll take sides on your grilled cheese. >> whatever. >> i take a clove of garlic, pound it, smash it and then what i do -- which is what my mom used to do, as well, i take it out after like two minutes and then we're done with it. i don't want to eat the garlic, you know. >> bobby, this is where i'm with you. the perfect grilled cheese. emma wants to know. she tweeted you. what are the best cheeses and the condiments for grilled cheese. >> well, first of all, picking the right cheese is really important. >> an italian cheese, of course. >> actually, i picked an italian cheese, as well. it's a very nutty cheese but actually melts very well. so it's a soft cheese. and i have bacon and some

tomatoes. exactly, salt and pepper. >> and you picked a good piece of bread. >> that's a good quality white bread and you can either spread the butter on the bread or the griddle itself and griddle side down and let it cook. and i like to cover it. >> this is a good idea. >> so that the cheese melts and cooks all the way through. >> and this gets very hot. >> whatever you want to do, giada. >> it's going to get really hot. >> no, you're 100% right. nobody would ever understand the bowl and the thing might get hot. i'm sorry. >> okay. you like it with chocolate and with fruit, which i'm with you on that too. i like that combination. >> yeah, in italy we make a lot of panini and i make mine on a panini press. >> she's been eating that all morning. it's delicious. >> it's cheese and semichocolate chips. and then -- >> really good. >> and then i use a very potent

cheese. it's so flavorful with a little pear, honey and arugula. >> and this tweet comes from bobby. bobby you tweeted said what is the best way to make pasta salad a great dish and not just an afterthought? how many of us have been to been to a barbecue and it's blah. >> it doesn't have the flavor. giada is a pasta connoisseur as we all know. how do we, like -- >> dress it up. this is what i do with pasta. you cook it like regular pasta. lots of salt in the water. >> little al dente. >> you don't want it too krumpy. >> do not put oil in the water. strain it but not rinse it. you want the starch, then add lots of flavor.

>> and no oil after it's cooked. >> i take the pasta out, put it on a cookie sheet to let it cool. >> olives. >> and a little asiago. >> this is like a pesto. >> red wine vinegar, dijon, and bingo. >> you're the one that thinks they're insipid. >> well, they can be. >> they can be. >> that has great flavor. >> and one more thing, don't dress it until ten minutes before you want to serve it. >> perfect. giada and bobby. we're going to eat now. thanks, guys. and giada will be joining us for take three in a couple of minutes. >> after i'm done with my pasta salad. >> first, though, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, eight clever ways to save time in your morning. >> and also, more with al live on the set of "the voice," but first these local news and weather. . . . . . . .

good morning to you. 8:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the funeral for a san jose paramedic shot in a drive-by is set for tuesday. 34-year-old quinn boyer will be remembered as saint teresa in oakland. so far, no arrests. we'll take a look at the forecast now with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you. temperatures today are going to be comfortable. 10 to 15 degrees cooler than where we ended up yesterday. might need to pull out that jacket this morning. this afternoon, 73 degrees inland. 69 bayside. 63 degrees at the coast. if you're trying to make weekend plans, saturday looks better for your outdoor activities. more sunshine and warmer. 60s on sunday.

dale: we're from oregon,

and we have brought our cheese for you to enjoy. dale: we have a ship on our packaging, not a cow, or milk, or you know, cheese... luke: you see back in the day it was easier for us to ship our cheese up and down the rugged oregon coast by ship, rather than by wagon or baby loaf bus. dale: we know you know this as it is told and retold by cheese-loving people around the world, but the farmers asked us to mention it. luke: enjoy tillamook cheese. dale: eat all you want. luke: we make tons. ♪ welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, april the 11th, 2013.

today is take three. >> that's it. >> first you have beer that just magically appears. >> what's up with that? >> i love it. >> and you're surrounded by three women. it's his lucky day. >> it is. i'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth. >> you're supposed to say, ladies, thank you. but every day i'm lucky to wake up with my beautiful wife. >> christina. >> oh. she's my friend, so i got your back, girl. >> good save. al is with us as well. he's out in los angeles on the set of "the voice." that's where we begin with our first take in take three. auditions are over, it's time to get serious. >> that's right. it's the -- now the battle round. >> right. >> each of the judges, blake shelton, i'm in the usher's chair.

>> there you go. >> did the button work? >> i think i pulled something. hold on. no, the button doesn't work. nothing happens. the magic is not here right now. but then, of course, you've got shakira, and adam levin. the they've got all their teams. so you've got 24 battle rounds over the next couple of days. so they're going to be winnowing this down. not to take anything away from christine and c lo, it's the number one singing competition going right now. >> i love this show. i think this season as well they have guest mentors who you adore, and joe mad den as well. >> huge. >> it's interesting --

>> joel madden is a coach on the australian version. >> oh, wow. christina aguilera and cee lo. >> their fans are loyal to them as well. shakira has stepped it up. >> she's great. >> i'm going to be talking with the judges tonight. we'll see that next week when we're talking about the judges in the battle round. it's going to be really exciting. >> al, have fun out there. give our best to those judges. we'll talk to you a little bit later. our take two this morning, this one's for you, we're talking a little food. they're trying, kind of, to make fast food a little healthier, taco bell promising better nutrition by the year 2020. >> 2020? that's a long ways away. >> do you think people go to get

fast food to be healthy? it's an indulgence, you don't do it all the time. >> i went through my phase of taco bell. and mcdonald's i get a number two, no onions. >> there you go, moderation. >> that's the whole point, you get to indulge in moderation. >> but it's good to have some alternatives, particularly for moms who want to get nuggets for the kids, and maybe sometimes give the kid a salad. if i'm going to taco bell at 2:00 a.m., i don't want a salad. i might get crazy. >> with that cool ranch dorito. let's explain what they're doing at taco bell. they're fixing the dietary guideline. they already reduced sodium levels in their products about 20% over the last few years. >> that's good.

>> so, you know, they're trying. but i tend to agree, if you roll up into one of those places, you're not there for a salad. >> i think they're going along the lines with the other places like chipotle, and you can get the brown rice and burritos in a bowl. i love those places. >> which is known for a little bit of jalapeno. >> that's the competition now, because chipotles are everywhere. they realize the marketplace, that's what it's about. >> do you ever hit up a burger king or mcdonald's? >> burger atburger king and fries at mcdonald's. $40 million surprise, a woman in canada thought she had won originally $40,000. she saw the numbers come up, she runs in -- >> $40,000 she was expecting. >> she tells her family we're

$40,000 richer. we can move on up in the world. her daughter goes online and checks the numbers and says, mom, you need to add a few zeros to that. you just won $40 million. >> did she just collapse? >> here she is. check this out. >> i was shaking. and i said, oh, my god, oh, my god. thank you, lord! i love you! so i run down the street like a crazy woman. and checked the lottery ticket. and it said $40 million. and then i go, oh, my god. i ran back up the street. i said, honey, i need a glass of water. >> how great. and she won in ontario, canada, and there's no tax in canada. when you win $40 million, you win $40 million.

>> it's not $20 million. >> we need friends in canada. >> yeah. >> taco bell road trip, lottery tickets in canada. >> i'm in. >> love it. >> assuming you can win. >> it's a nice story. it sounds like the family needs the money. they've been struggling a little bit. >> i love her happy dance. >> she should be on "dancing with the stars." >> that's right. >> i like her a lot. >> congratulations to her. we want to ask you about something. you've got a new psa out for stand-up for cancer. >> yes. >> this is very personal for you. >> for the melanoma awareness foundation. i lost my brother to melanoma at the age of 31. all i want to say is this is not a downer psa. all i want to say, if caught early, 92% curable. there's only a couple of things to keep in mind. you've got to wear sunscreen, rain or shine. get to know your body. like get to know your body.

my brother was one of those guys who never looked at himself in the mirror that much, guys don't. and he didn't notice the mole on his back. it just got too far and he died within a year and a half of diagnosis. very young age. if you see something suspicious, go to the doctor. because it is something that you can bounce back from. it's not a death sentence as long as you get it early. >> and check everywhere. >> everywhere, yeah. >> behind the ears -- >> i get checked every three months because i have someone who died in my family. you can get checked once a year if you have no family risk. or every six months. so just go and make sure you protect yourself. >> it is important. >> african-american women, the fastest growing group with skin cancer. people think because you have dark skin, you're safe. >> obviously i did this because still to this day one person every minute dies of melanoma in this country. i love a tan just like everybody else. but there are so many great creams out there.

do the spray tans. don't go to the tanning beds, because they have the same problem. >> a lot of us grew up in a time before the sunscreen obsession. now with our kids, we lather them up. >> my daughter's all white from the sunscreen, all the time. >> same with us. good for you. thank you. you got a look at some of the other stories? >> people in the u.s. are either cleaning up from severe weather or preparing it. on wednesday six reported tornadoes in arkansas and missouri. homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged. power was knocked out for thousands of people in the upper midwest. minnesota, wisconsin, and risk of severe thunderstorms from ohio to northern florida. all eyes on north korea today, in its preparations to test-fire a medium-range missile. south korea and the u.s. are on high alert this week.

north korea warned. secretary of state john kerry is due to visit the region starting tomorrow. today on capitol hill, the first vote on gun control, four months after the massacre in newtown, connecticut. the key vote determines whether the senate will begin debate on gun control. it comes one day after a bipartisan agreement on background checks for gun. a new twist in the case of the man known as clark rockefeller. a los angeles jury decided he was not just a con man, but a murderer. nbc's mike has the story. >> he kidnapped his little daughter after his life of deceit and multiple false identities was exposed. christian carl was much more and much worse than the chameleon in search of other people's money. after a three-week trial, the 52-year-old german national

listened impasseively as the clerk read the jury's verdict. >> find the defendant christian gerhardt guilty in the murder of john ho sohuz. >> reporter: he disappeared with his wife in january 1985. gerhardt passing himself off then as british royalty dispirited himself soon afterward. he crisscrossed the country until, as clark rockefeller, sign of that famous family, he convinced a wealthy harvard educated investment consultant named sandra bost to marry him and hand over control of her finances, too. but the couple had a daughter, nicknamed snooks. and when bosh figured out her husband was a fraud and divorced him, he kidnapped snooks, only to be caught and convicted of that crime. he was connected to the remains of john sohuz discovered when the new owner of the old

property was putting in a swimming pool. gerhardt told natalie during the kidnapping case he was not a murderer. >> i believe in nonviolence. and i can fairly certainly say that i have never hurt anyone. >> reporter: the defense attorney said the jury in this case believed otherwise for one reason. >> they didn't like him at all. they hated him. they were laughing at him openly. >> what was basically a circumstance ctial case, they convicted him with a possible life sentence. prosecutors believe linda is dead, and that gerhardt killed her, too. but her body has never been found. >> thank you, mike. "dateline" will have much more on this story next wednesday, 8:00, 7:00 central right here on nbc. a real treat if you like blue grass music. no, that's not a real dog

playing. that dog is playing a banjo! >> those paws can pick. >> so these talented pups have helped a couple of human friends. from the wedding ring on one of their paws. willie did it. it's 12 minutes after the hour. >> that dog's playing the banjo! >> oh, i'm a little slow on the uptake. let's go back to l.a. and check in with al for a look at the weather. i always thought dogs playing cards was the ultimate. now you've got dogs playing banjos. >> yeah. >> can elvis be far behind? we're here on the set of "the voice." get ready for the battle rounds. i'll be interviewing the judges,

bring that to you early next week. in the meantime, we're bringing pretty rough weather for you. we've got severe weather to talk about, and winter weather, from new orleans to tallahassee, as far north as columbus. risk of strong storms from raleigh, nashville, downpours, tornadoes, heavy winds and hail. look at it firing up between houston and new orleans all the way up to detroit. getting ready to head into cleveland. rainfall amounts anywhere from one to three inches of rain from the gulf all the way up into the upper mississippi river valley. and ohio river valleys. minneapolis, you're still seeing heavy snow right now. we're looking anywhere from six to nine inches of snow in 9:14 now. good morning. i'm meteorologist christina loren. this is san francisco. camera shakes from time to time as winds are rather strong. but it's a sea breeze and it's really cooling us down, anywhere between 2 to 10 degrees cooler all across the bay area. this afternoon, that will

certainly be reflected in your high temperatures. 75 degrees in fairfield. closer to 90 degrees out there yesterday. 65 in san francisco. down from 80 yesterday. you'll notice the difference there. temperatures will be a touch warmer as we finish off the workweek for your friday. and that's your latest weather. back to the gang. >> thanks a lot, al. we appreciate it. as if my morning couldn't get any better, as natalie pointed out earlier, i got to sit in a recliner and get a beer that fills up from the bottom. look at that. it just comes right to you. >> you don't even have to move. >> wow, you look comfortable. >> shall we go from beer to doughnuts? >> to doughnuts. it apparently is the trend. cupcakes over the last several years have become the big thing. now doughnuts are popping up on restaurant menus. up 100% over the last year. this is the fancy style doughnuts.

there's one called dough in brooklyn. and the general here in new york. >> here's chocolate. >> this comes with cereal on top. if you couldn't make up your mind if you wanted cereal or a doughnut. >> the fruity pebbles makes it look nice. >> these are from the general. these are good. >> they're pretty filling. >> pretty good. >> i like the glaze on top. >> my favorite part is the doughnut. >> combined two healthy breakfast treats, cereal and doughnuts. coming up next, morning short cuts to get you out the door on time, right after this. . discover lancôme visionnaire advanced skin corrector, an innovation with the molecule lr2412. our fast-acting serum with visible results in just one week. wrinkles, pores, unevenness are visibly corrected.

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100% greek. 100% mmm... wow, that is mmm... it's so mmm you might not believe it's a hundred calories. yoplait greek 100. it is so good. we are kicking off a new series. we partnered with a social news site to bring you some of their famous offbeat lists about the world we live in. today, eight morning shortcuts to save you time. e!'s jason kennedy is here. good morning. >> let's power through. >> we start with the corner closet. $30 at the hardware store, 15 minutes, although this took me three hours to build. >> i was going to say. >> but lay your outfits out, monday through friday, put your shoes underneath it, you're going to save a lot of time. >> i love that. that's perfect. >> you say you can use that

coffee maker. >> yeah, the keurig. i'm not a coffee guy, but you put the oatmeal right here. my mom's going to be so proud of me. >> don't put a keurig cup -- >> don't put a cup in here, just press it down. >> water. >> hit the water button and that will shoot out. of course, you know, when you're live it never works, but this is the finished product. >> next on the list. >> an overnight mask. of course your face needs hydration and it loses a lot of that hydration overnight. put an overnight mask on, it'll help you through the evening and next day. don't be afraid of the overnight mask. people make fun, but you're going to get the last laugh later in life. >> you first. >> jason, i use one of these, but not for the reason that was on the list. >> this is going to eliminate the hair frizz, also the sleep lines on your face. beauty experts and cosmetic surgeons swear by this. >> there it is.

getting make-up all over it. but this is very good for you. it's going to help you out. >> if you want to save time making your smoothie in the morning, might want to think about freezing the fruit first in ice cream? >> yeah, if you make a fruit bowl and have a little too much fruit, simply put it in here like so. we have a loose blueberry. >> a fruit salad. >> just give it a little boom, boom, boom. after you do that, pour it into the ice trays right here. and you put it on a cooking sheet or zip lock bag. and put it back in the blender, mix it with water or milk and perfect. >> sweet, i love you. now muffins. how do they speed up my morning? >> you've got your protein in here, your veggies, you can put some all types of stuff. ham and that type of thing. make 12, that's probably my recommendation on a monday. and then you pop them in the microwave for 1 to 2 inches. and, you know, you have your good hearty protein. >> that is a good idea. >> now, if you want a cat eye when it comes to putting eye

liner on. >> willie and i talked about this while we're drinking beers. >> it can be hard to be precise. >> this is our eyeliner template. >> a business card. >> take a business card and i'll help you do it. >> you're going to do it for me. >> i'll help you, tamron. >> you're going to measure where your eye -- >> you do a little shading and cutting. and this is the finished product. you put one there, tamron here. >> i look in the thing? >> hold it up. i'll hold the mirror. >> no one's ever done this, have they? >> all of those tips are phenomenal. i love all of the others. >> jason kennedy, thanks, man. head to today.com for the full list of morning shortcuts from buzz feed plus more tips sent in by "today" viewers. still ahead, updating your spring wardrobe, but first, these messages. everyone's hair breaks.

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willpower. what will you gain when you lose? willpower. boredc'mon give it a boost. with healthy look crème gloss from l'oreal paris. go from mousy to glossy with lots of amazing tones. it's low commitment, too. boost what you've got - a little or a lot. go from mousy to glossy with l'oreal's healthy look. good morning to you. 9:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. hundreds of bay area veterans looking for work have a chance to find it today. a job fair in san jose is starting in just minutes as part of nbc universal's hiring our heroes program. one of the businesses hoping to

hire, the del grand dealership group in san jose. they have 40 positions available. plenty of businesses looking to do the same today. that job fair goes until 1:00 at the american legion post on minnesota avenue in san jose. san jose mayor chuck reed getting the brush-off from baseball commissioner bud selig. earlier this month, reed road to selig to ask what's holding up the a's' move the san jose. selig responded a few days later telling reed to talk to the commission formed four years ago to look into the issue for answers. after the break, we'll have a look at weather and traffic. [ female announcer ] safeway presents

real big deals of the week. or how to keep from driving all over for the best deals. you don't need to run around. safeway gives you real big club card deals each week. this week, a crazy low price on tide, $10.99 for 100 ounces. skip the warehouse. quilted northern is $10.99 for 24 double rolls. and dryer's ice cream is just $2.99. real big deals this week and every week. only at safeway. ingredients for life. welcome back. 9:28. what a beautiful day shaping up over san jose. it looks about as bright and sunny as this time yesterday but temperatures are running anywhere between 2 to 15 degrees

cooler as onshore flow has resumed. we have that cool ocean air coming off the pacific. throughout the day today, you'll notice the difference. look at the difference. 76 degrees. walnut creek hit 88 yesterday. san jose, we hit the mid-80s. just 70 degrees for us. things change on sunday. if you're trying to make outdoor plan, warmer and sunnier on saturday. >> a lot brighter and cooler than yesterday. for 880 northbound through oakland, we have a slower drive right now past the coliseum. it's starting to lighten up. 880 is the slow drive through oakland but 580 is fine. north 238 drive, a little slow. but the crash is on the southbound side of 880. not slowing past that scene. clearing through fremont and the northbound routes in through san jose.

>> thank you very much and thank you for joining us. another local news update is coming up in half an hour. have a great morning. back now with more of "today" on this thursday morning, april 11th, 2013. the temperatures coming back down to earth. just a little bit this weekend. >> just a little bit. >> spring and summer. >> spring. >> inside studio 1a, i'm willie geist along with tamron hall. we're going to show you how

to update your spring wardrobe with a few simple changes. when you walk down the yogurt aisle, you see all types of yogurt. do you know which is the best choice? we were talking about it earlier, literally you stand there and wait on someone to tell me what to get. >> how long do you stand there? >> and the yogurt comes out at you? >> it talks to me, the yogurt. >> and you want to know which has the best option. we'll break it down. >> but first, al is on the set of "the voice" with another look at the weather. hey, al. >> i'm still trying to get the image of tamron standing in front of the yogurt -- >> somebody help me, please. >> talk to me, yogurt. >> they're fighting over her. >> i'm so happy -- >> they want to go home with tamron. >> oh, natalie. >> the yogurt said something nice to tamron, turned out the yogurt was complimentary. >> oh. >> as you look, this is the battle round of the voice.

24 teams will be battling it out here as the judges all down there make their choices. it's all coming up. they're going to be doing that this afternoon. i'll be chatting with the judges and then, of course, america finds out monday and tuesday of next week. yeah. but let's take a look at your weekend as you get ready, the weather you need to know while you wait for the voice next week. well, for tomorrow, risk of strong storms along the mid-atlantic coast, icy conditions, northern new england, rain by this afternoon and the pacific northwest. nice and warm through the southwest. for saturday, we're looking at a beautiful day along the eastern seaboard. nice and warm through the southeast. showers down in southern florida. showers in the midsection of the country, rain in the pacific northwest. sunny and hot in the southwest. sunday, sunday, look for more sunshine along the eastern seaboard. going to be chilly in the northeast and new england. rain and windy conditions, central great lakes, back into the central plains. rain and snow showers through the pacific northwest. sunny and hot continuing from

texas southwest on into southern california. that's wha good thursday morning to you. isle meteorologist christina loren. we got rid of a lot of that fog from earlier this morning. temperatures are climbing under mostly sunny conditions. but you will notice the difference between yesterday and today as we're going to drop by about 15 degrees on average. that means 73 degrees in lirm. 74 in napa and 68 degrees in oakland. through the next couple of days, temperatures are going to level off in the upper 70s. then by sunday, we drop you back to the mid-60s. outdoor plans look beet for saturday. >> and that's your latest weather. willie? >> all right, al. thanks a lot. it reads like a mystery novel. a 6-year-old boy wakes up one morning to find out his father has been found dead. that boy later spends a decade of his adult life looking for answers. but this is not a work of fiction. after visiting friends is the true life story of the deputy

editor of "gq" magazine. >> good to see you, willie. >> after visiting friends, it goes to the official story of your father's death, which was what? >> which was that he had died after -- he died after getting off work and police found his body. that was a story our uncle told us. but learned later it was a sort of euphemism hidden in the obituary. >> what initially raised your suspicions? you were 6 years old, you've heard that story for years and years and years. when did you first start to think this doesn't add up? >> when i was 10 or 11. and we all have these stories in our family. we all have family, every family has these mysteries and questions. this was mine. and it took me, you know, a good 20 years to work up the courage and search. >> you go in search of this, start digging, talk to his old colleagues in the 1970s chicago newspaper business, you speak to relatives and you were stone walled by just about everybody you talked to. how frustrating was that? >> i understand they were trying

to protect my mother and she was 33 and widowed as a young woman, left with two boys and i think they all wanted to protect her and my mother and my brother and me. so you can understand people making these choices. i think that's why the book resinates with folks. they see these moral moments and sort of what would i do? when you go in search of the truth, then you have to find out who's going to give it to you. >> that raised your suspicions even higher. why aren't these people talking to me? did that drive you to look more? >> one of the traits my mother taught me was perseverance and tenacity and i think, you know, that's why the book resinates with a lot of people. they say that strength. i say in the book, i'm looking for my father but i found my mother at the center of this. i found her really the core of the story. >> as you went along this decade-long journey and you found out some of the things you find out in the book, we're trying not to give away too much because it has an incredible ending, did you start to see your dad differently? >> i did. you know, that's a great question. your father was a newspaper man, as well, and we both grew up in

chicago. you know, i started this book even though i was in my 40s, i started writing this story. i still saw him through the eyes of a 6-year-old boy. and by the end of it, you know, i came around to see him man to man just as i saw him in a different way and saw my mother as the hero of the story, i saw my father man to man. we've all lost, these people may be gone from our lives, but they never leave us. and we're always sort of searching for what's our relationship with them. so it was -- it gave me a powerful way to go forward. >> how difficult was the moment when you had to sit down with your mother and tell her i've been on this ten-year search, here's what i've found, it's completely different than what you thought about your husband. >> well, i think, again, that's why the book connects with folks. you imagine doing something like that with your own mother or father, and it's a testament to my mother's courage and her values. she said after i told her the truth she said, i think you need to write this story. and i said why? and she said, it's the truth,

maybe our truth will inspire other folks. i think, you know, it took me a good year and a half to work up the courage to get there and i'm honest about that in the book. that is part of the connection of the story for readers. >> some of the things would be heartbreaking for a son to learn. are you glad you did this? >> at the end of the day, you never regret knowing the truth. it's brought my family closer together and inspired a lot of folks. i get e-mails every day from people talking about it. me talking about my secrets and my mysteries and my family inspired them. >> i've made no secret about this. it's one of my favorite books of this year. it's a fantastic read. it's hard to believe at certain times that it is a true story, but it is and it's your story. michael, great to see you. the book is "after visiting friends" and you can read an excerpt on our website today.com. back right after this. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much.

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what i call a healthy marriage. activia greek. the feel good greek. ♪ dannon ♪ this morning on "today's style" taking your spring wardrobe from boring to brilliant without spending a lot of money. beauty and style expert jen falic is going to show us how to do it. time to shed the winter clothes, right? change out the closets and you can do it without spending a lot of money. >> or effort. these are all simple style updates, one or two pieces that can transform your look. >> let's start with the pastels. this is a hot trend it seems this season. let's start off with taking a look at how danielle is dressed here. from head to toe. >> and it works. >> we started out with this blazer, very versatile, light peach. it's $98, so under $100. super well tailored, which i think is important with pastels.

and then we layered it with a light purple scarf, the shoes, the whole deal. i love how it all looks together. the shirt's from burlington, it's bright. you have to have a little edge so you don't look like a cupcake, with the gray it anchors it. >> i love how the shoes pick up on what's going on up at the top, as well. >> i love that. >> with accessories, you can do it. adding lull pops here and there, right? >> little pops. at the beach, if you're wearing a black cover-up, these crocs flip-flops, lilac is great or the bag. it can be touches, doesn't have to be head to toe. >> the other trend of the season we're seeing is the low-stacked heel now. >> these are comfortable. >> these are comfortable. these are from aerosoles, super stylish, what i love about this is it lifts your whole look. we've got the canvas lands end

jeans here, nice pant with a modern floral. if she were wearing ballet flats, it would be one sort of look, but with a heel, it elevates it and the fact they're comfortable, she can wear them all day. i love this. >> these are great. >> this is easy to wear, run around but you look like you made an effort. >> thank you so much. let's move on over here. and let's talk about the big, bright bold lip as we see right here on our model. >> such an easy update. and moon always wears a nude gloss, something simple. so this is a laura geller called wild orchid. it's bold. >> she looks great. >> totally brings her face to life. and when you do a lip like this, you can amp up your style. a lot of people think you have to be subtle with fashion, i think it's the other way around. this way we've got the sequin jacket from h & m. >> sure. >> pastel shoes, all the colors together play up the face. >> and here you see all the different colors you're talking about. it used to be all about the bright red lip. is pink the new red? >> pink is the new red because

it goes better with the colors we're seeing especially black and white. pink looks more modern than a classic red. and these are options. >> and the last but not least, the little white tux look. this is the idea of taking that little black dress up a notch. right? >> the little black dress. we own it, love it, update it with a white jacket. catherine has her favorite little black dress on, a little white jacket over it and play up the sort of masculine feminine. a necklace from charming charlie, $18, anything black and white can sort of work. >> right. >> accessories, as well? >> accessories and we get a pink bag here to liven up the look and show the feminine side. go black and white, take your black dress you've worn a million times. >> or in this case, you have a black jumper, which a lot of people wouldn't think would be dressy, it dresses up the whole outfit. >> and you have the play on the bow tie. i love that. i think it's jewelry. when it indicates something

masculine but is girly, it completes the look. >> great stuff as always. ladies, thank you very much. appreciate it. coming up next, the skinny on yogurt and how to choose the healthiest options right after this. [ female announcer ] switch to swiffer sweeper, and you'll dump your old broom. but don't worry, he'll find someone else. ♪ who's that lady? ♪ who's that lady? ♪ sexy lady ♪ who's that lady? [ female announcer ] swiffer sweeper's electrostatic dry cloths attract and lock dirt, dust, and hair on contact to clean 50% more than a broom. it's a difference you can feel. swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning. and now swiffer wet and dry refills are available with the fresh scent of gain. waiting for your wrinkle cream to work?

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more of us are eating it and a ton more options. >> let's look at some options so we can make the best ones. what is that? what does it mean? >> it's locally made, they usually use grass-fed cows. and you only can buy it regionally. this one is from vermont, there's one in atlanta we love called atlanta fresh. but again, you're only going to find it in your local market. it is more expensive. >> nondairy yogurt. this is exploding because so many people are going vegan. so the first one to come out with soy and now a lot of people are avoiding soy now you have coconut milk. this is one right here. >> can i try this? >> this is coconut milk yogurt. and the thing with the non-dairy, they have to use more sugar to get the fermentation going. and low protein. >> more sugar, less protein. >> these are your options but you have to look at the ingredient list.

a lot of times it's a lot longer than a traditional yogurt. >> all right. moving on to greek greek yogurt. >> this is really what caused the boom. so you have several different styles. what you want to be careful about here is companies saying they have a greek-style yogurt. >> what does it mean? >> it's triple strength. they use three times the milk, which is why there's so much more protein. as much as 3 ounces of meat. it's a great thing to have in the morning, fills you up as a breakfast. but a lot of companies are trying to cut costs so they're not using the triple milk and they're adding whey protein. if you it's whey protein, it's not traditionally made. >> can you have it as a snack? >> absolutely. and a lot of companies are now making smaller containers for snacking. >> nice. >> if you're having it for breakfast, about 200 calories, no more than 4 grams saturated fat, for a snack, half that. >> got it in my head.

moving on. we've got our beautiful selection here. this is cultured milk. >> okay. >> so it's thinner. you want to try it. >> kefir. >> and great for making smoot e smoothies because it's so liquidy and smooth. and you're not going to get as much protein. >> and they tend to have about 7 grams. >> okay. >> per serving and can have a bit more sweetener in it. go for the plain, add your own fruit. >> and it's easy because it makes it portable. i like that. >> very good, francis. a lot of us -- >> thank you. >> we'll be back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

get in there. coming up tomorrow, joy bauer tomorrow has calories, cooking time and costs. your local news and weather up next.

good morning to you. it is 9:56. i'm marla tellez. a middle schoolteacher in concord is under investigation this morning for allegedly hitting a student during class. this is video obtained by claycord.com. it claims to show an oak grove teacher hitting at least one student. the superintendent with the mt. diablo unified school district says it is a personnel issue and he cannot share specific details. however, in a statement he told us, quote, the teacher is an administrative leave as we investigate the matter and take all necessary steps to endure our students have a safe and productive learning environment. the parents of a toddler who was allegedly tied up with tape at a pleasanton preschool are suing the school and the teacher.

they say she tied up her hands and feet after the girl refused to take a nap. i was just outside in the south bay. it is gorgeous out there. let's get a look at the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> thanks, marla. a good-looking day. down from 88 degrees in walnut creek to 76 this afternoon. 85 in santa rosa today. you'll hit 74 today. throughout san francisco, 80 down to 65 as winds continue to pump onshore from the sea. that cool pacific air continues to pump inland all day long. winds strongest at the coast today and through the higher elevations especially throughout the second half of the day into the evening. by tomorrow, temperatures warm back up. nice weekend ahead. >> we still have a small back-up here. half the parking lot distance as far as the cash lanes go. fasttrack lanes almost clearing now. still have the metering lights on. traffic is thinning out.

no more crashes. the maze looks nice as well. a nice, easy drive just 238 shows the slowing out of castro valley. >> mike, thanks. we'll be back at 10:26. [ wind howling ]

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it is thirst-day thursday, april 11th, it's time for hoda's -- >> what? >> i-hoda, i'll make you wait for it. it's going to be a great song that you're going to want to put on your tape deck, your cassette player. >> my tape deck, very funny. >> your 8-track. >> jerry, enough out of you. >> there will be good music. we have four adorable swedish guys here. >> so yesterday in "people" magazine -- >> yeah. >> jenna bush hager had a baby shower. there were pictures and stuff. >> not enough. >> it was nice and everybody was asked to bring a children's book. >> do bring to the new mother who doesn't have any for her new child. >> that's what savannah did and natalie sang something and i brought one. meredith brought one and mine apparently rankled some people's feathers, whatever you call it. ruffled feathers. that book was in my apartment,

which i confess, and it belonged to my niece and i had enough time to go find my favorite book. she didn't care. >> well fans have taken umbrage and you know what happens when they have? one writer, hoda is just a disorganized mess. new york city must be shops open 24/7. you can pop in and buy a book. >> who is that? what's her name? >> pat nichol. >> exactly, pat nichol. >> and barbara lion gifford said -- no relation. >> really? >> said that is not gifting, that's stealing and not nice. >> this is ridiculous. >> there was one person who was okay with it and it wasn't your mother. one writer said thinks it was a brilliant idea especially in this economy, as long as the item was in good condition, which who knows, what's the problem? there are bigger fish to fry. >> i have a question -- really? like i just took the book that

was left -- i didn't want to come with no book, which was the other option. >> hannah was fine with it. she didn't even know i had it. >> it was signed to her, probably. so now baby hager, dear hannah is going to get a book that says dear hannah, you've got to think things through. >> she loved my book. that's all i'm saying. here's the question, are they or aren't they. there's a rumor mill involving p. diddy and kate upton, and are they a couple. there are reports they were caught locking lips. >> the "daily news" likes to call it sucking face. >> sucking face and they a name for the two of them together which is clever -- >> diddy-up. >> there were records they were ka noodling in miami. each of those deny that this happened. they say they don't even know each other. now who gets the picture of them actually together. it will be worth a fortune. >> there's a 20-something age

gap between those two. >> she's 22 and he's 46. >> i have no problem with that i'm not one to judge on that. i always say, only 20? i don't really care, do you, do you care? >> i kind of care. >> why because i like new couples, i like the new couples. >> you know what happens? >> they break up? >> yes. >> all right. so here we have good news, it's a great kind of fun -- this happened on the plaza, there was a girl out on the plaza, a senior at pepperdine, her name is shania coley. >> is it shayna? >> shayna. >> why don't you continue since you know everything. >> it says shayna. >> a little, oh, oh, still upset about the book and taking it out on me, go ahead. >> so shayna -- shania, from here on out, she was out on the plaza and she really wanted to go with joe jonas to her prom. so she made a video that was kind of cool and that was at

basically asking him to come to the prom. so what happened was, she's out on the plaza, and there's some weird-looking guy with a mustache and -- >> who also needed a date for something, right? >> it turned out he was joe jonas, take it off! it was a big surprise. >> she seemed to be able to tell because it was bad makeup. i like this girl's attitude. she was very clever. she was real, she was natural, she was adorable. but do they have proms in college? >> i don't know. i guess they have something like it, maybe. sorority formal. >> this is nbc news, we should have a little bit more respect. if it's not a prom, let's not call it that, people. >> let's call it a sorority formal. another love story. this one is debatable. >> the woman videotaping us, take it home to sweden. what are they going to think of this. >> a bride and groom are planning to get married next month. the groom decided he was going to pull a fast one.

>> i'll the details on the story are bothering me. >> i'm just having a little fun. >> when were they supposed to get married. >> she said october. >> they were supposed to get married in october. as opposed to -- it's november? >> somebody told me, i knew it wasn't next month. >> we're getting lost in the sauce. there's a big story here. they were supposed to get married later and what happened was, the groom decided he wanted to speed the process up a little bit. so he went to her mother and said -- let's go ahead and plan a quick wedding. so and so he asked his bride-to-be to dress up in her wedding dress, to take pictures, which i guess people are doing more and more, and she had no idea, she thought she was going in for photos, instead, the whole wedding happened right there. he had everything planned. >> interesting that they have all their stuff so many months before the event was actually

supposed to happen. >> when was it supposed to happen? >> sometime between october and november. but i never heard of that before. >> you know what happens -- >> it used to be that the man couldn't wait to see his beautiful bride in her wedding gown walking down the aisle, they always kept it a secret. in today's world so few people are old-fashioned enough to wait for their wedding day for pretty much everything. so i think it's very funny, that now they still make it sometimes about seeing your bride come down the aisle in a wedding dress. >> they've seen each other naked for four years, it's like oh my gosh, they're wearing clothes. it seems strange to me. but they're a lovely couple. they came up to see us. >> she loved the idea, i would think if someone planned my wedding -- i don't know that i would be so crazy about that. >> you know the happiest people in the world usually i think, and who usually have the best wedding nights of their existence? >> who? >> people who elope. because they're not exhausted.

they've just gone off, none of the pressure, they've not gone off to please their mother or their father or their aunt or grandmaxt they'll just be there to with each other and no angst. >> and there's no romance on wedding nights, i don't think. you're tired, you're dancing, it's over. go to bed. go to bed. >> let's go back to the beginning when people start dating, just to renew our faith in human nature. oxygen media has, they have a dating poll. >> what was it? was it tuesday night? that they called to, it was tuesday, i think it came out, called find me my man. >> there's some interesting finds in this poll. and here they are. 32% of men are willing to overlook a woman's cue her -- >> mustache. so if women have mustaches, men are fine with it. i guess they think you have a good sense of humor.

>> just under half of the men polled find glasses sexy. >> again, keep it on. >> cue it up. >> look at the swedes, looking at me. >> one in tem women are okay, this is a weird one, one in ten women are okay with dating a smelly guy. that would be a deal-breaker, you can't have that. >> this is another deal-breaker. >> what? >> you say it. >> no. >> mont men bring protection on a first date just in case. >> 60% of all guys think it's okay to date friends of exs and ex's of friends. >> i think it's very complicated. >> it's terrible. has a friend of yours ever dated someone you dated? >> i'm trying to think, married a few, but dated, i can't remember. no, i do have one of those situations going on right now with some friends and it's awkward. very awkward and very tough. a third of the guys say they've lied to snag a lady online. >> and more than a third, this is probably the most prevalent one, admit to faking an

emergency to end a date early. it's a -- gotta go. out of door, boom, gone. >> i think, tammy -- >> was it joanne? >> what? >> one of the two of those women said -- >> it was you, tammy. >> she stood up a guy -- >> oh, no. >> it was amanda. >> it wasn't amanda. >> trying to mix it up a little. >> she stood up a guy. his big, big night. >> it was a fraternity formal. >> not a prom like we said. >> was it in october or november. >> stop it! >> is it okay or not okay -- to flirt on twitter? and we said -- >> flirting is such a subjective thing, hoda, it's hard to tell tone when you're looking at words. the best flirting is always face to face. >> the way you like it. >> yes.

>> yes, it's okay, as long as you're okay with everyone and your mother watching you in action. >> even your mother? even your mother. >> oy. >> we had half an hour. we had so much fun with that. >> here's my song, my i-hoda playlist, a mix between country and rap, i like that little combo. it's cruise, a remix by florida and georgia line and nelly. listen to the two of them together.

>> he says baby you're a song. >> i like it when rap and country blend. nelly has done that before. >> you know who else -- hoda? >> we have an way ward-winning. >> and they're wearing their medals to prove it. >> a barbershop quartet, called the ringmasters from sweden. they won a huge award. come on in, guys. >> let's say their names. >> raymond and jacob stenberg tenor. >> emanuel rolle. ba baritone. >> and martin. >> what are you going to sing? >> beatles. >> barbershop style.

♪ na, na, na, na, na ♪ ooh i need your love, babe ♪ guess you know it's true ♪ and hope you need my love, babe ♪ ♪ just like i need you ♪ hold me ♪ love me ♪ hold me ♪ love me ♪ i ain't got nothing but love, babe ♪ ♪ eight days a week ♪ love you every day, girl ♪ always on my mind ♪ one thing i can say girl ♪ love you all the time ♪ hold me ♪ love me ♪ hold me ♪ love me ♪ i ain't got nothin but love babe ♪ ♪ eight days a week >> that's it!

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time for our plaza ambush make joerings, where two women from our crowd are surrounded for a big surprise. >> working their magic is our makeup team, louis liccari -- say it with meaning and feeling -- ♪ louis liccari ♪ la, la, la, la, la >> and contributing editor for "people style watch" and author, jill martin. >> we found two great-looking girls who didn't have a clue how pretty they were. >> let's start with terry slocum. she lost 90 pounds and so she's

so excited. she wanted the opportunity for a brand-new look for her brand-new body. let's take a listen to her story. >> you lost 90 pounds? >> yes. >> just amazing. so how do you think this makeover will help you? >> i don't really know what kind of clothes to buy. and i've been wanting to get something done with my hair that looks younger. >> what a perfect fit, we can help you with that and i know you're so excited for your mom. >> i'm so happy for her. >> tell me why. >> she just really doesn't know what to do and i think she has the potential to be really beautiful and she already is. >> so nice to hear, right? >> yes. >> here we go. >> oh, we like julie anna. keep your blindfold on, please, until i give you the green light to take it off. here is teri before. all right. teri, let's see the new you.

>> all right. are you ready? all right, take off your blindfold! >> are you my mom? you look beautiful. >> turn around and look in the mirror. >> oh, my gosh. >> it's the new you, girl. >> wow. >> why don't you spin right around here, sweetie, tell us about the hair. >> teri, just lost 90 pounds, ready for a complete new look. we gave her this grate little shag that make her fine hair look a little bit thicker. played with the bangs for an accent area. i warmed up her hair color. and look how pretty. >> and the makeup makes her eyes pop. >> what do you think of her? >> i don't recognize her. >> jill, the dress is perfect

for her. >> she hadn't worn a dress in 20 years. >> or heels. >> so this is from london times, a wrap dress, she wants to lose 30 more pounds, this will adjust and look how pretty it is for spring. >> you look great. >> speaking of her heels, we forgot to talk about kinky boots, we'll do it later. >> a big round of applause for teri. you can follow her that way. >> think of her not wearing heels for 20 years. >> the second lady is laura thacker. 28 from new york, new york. she told us she only wears makeup on special occasions, she was thrilled to get a glam new style. let's hear her story. >> we were just talking, you're a little freaked out right now. >> a little bit. i was not expecting this when i woke up this morning to come to the today show. >> let's regroup here. what do you think of this and ha are you looking for? >> i mean this is pretty awesome. my birthday is on sunday. so this is kind of -- great timing. kind of get a new look. and you know, ring in the last

year of my 20s in style. >> turning 30, my birthday is on sunday, so happy birthday. >> april 14th? >> april 14th. >> this is a big celebration. here we go. >> happy birthday to you, too, jill. >> she's here with her friends sarah and emily. one last look at laura before. and the brand-new laura packer. >> wow! all right. girls, take off the blindfolds. >> you look hot! >> you want to see for yourself? >> turn and. i love that hair. >> the hair angled like that is fantastic. >> turn around, sweetie. >> go, girl. >> she had the most perfect hair for this simple graduated bob

haircut. because it's sleek, shiny. you were made for this haircut. it's beautiful, sexy, terrific. and the makeup palette which is new spring colors, very soft. >> i'll never miss the goth look, ever. i like the soft, pretty natural look so much. >> that dress is so pretty. >> birthday for spring, from maggie london. and the bay shoes. >> teri, come on out. >> a round of applause. >> thanks so much to jill. we've got all your celebrity news, we have got -- we'll hear from our little brother, first, these messages. rrrrrrrrrrrr! when i'm hungry, i feel like i want to faint. this is my hungry monster. one in six americans struggle with hunger every single day. if i could stop hunger, i would definitely do it. [ male announcer ] let's growl back at hunger. stock up on select general mills groceries at walmart's low prices between april 1st and 30th

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the innovative lash-hugging brush smoothes on liquid lash extensions beyond the tip. building high impact volume and length. shocking l'oreal's new shocking extensions. there's a lot i had to do... watch my diet. stay active. start insulin... today, i learned there's something i don't have to do anymore. my doctor said that with novolog® flexpen, i don't have to use a syringe and a vial or carry a cooler. flexpen® comes prefilled with fast-acting insulin used to help control high blood sugar when you eat. dial the exact dose. inject by pushing a button. no drawing from a vial. you should eat a meal within 5 to 10 minutes after injecting novolog® (insulin aspart [rdna origin] injection). do not use if your blood sugar is too low, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating shakiness, confusion, and headache. severe low blood sugar can be serious and life-threatening. ask your health care provider about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. other possible side effects

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turn to senokot-s tablets. senokot-s has a natural vegetable laxative ingredient plus the comfort of a stool softener for gentle, overnight relief of occasional constipation. go to senokot-s.com for savings. that's 3 moves, 5 jobs, 2 newborns. it's no wonder i'm getting gray. but kate -- still looks like...kate. with nice'n easy, all they see is you -- in one simple step, nice'n easy with colorblend technology, gives expert highlights and lowlights. for color that's perfectly true to you. i don't know all her secrets, but i do know kate's more beautiful now, than the day i married her.

with the expert highlights and lowlights of nice 'n easy, all they see is you. good morning to you. 10:26. i'm marla tellez. the hunt is on for carjacking suspects who led bay area police on a chase that ended in a watery mess. officers in san francisco say the car lost control, hit a muni bus and slammed into a fire hydrant at union and venice. the driver and at least one passenger took off on foot. the chp says the car was stolen out of modesto. after the break, we'll look at the forecast and mike will check the roads.

welcome back. i'm meteorologist christina loren. look at how much cooler we are than just 24 hours ago. 13 degrees cooler in san martin. 14 degrees cooler in livermore. oakland and san francisco, 7 to 9 degrees cooler. you probably notice that difference already. temperatures are going to end up in the 70s down from the upper 80s yesterday. 73 degrees in livermore. 75 for fairfield. and 69 degrees in fremont. i'll have your full forecast today at 11:00. but first, want to check the back-up with mike inouye. >> this is the only remaining back-up at the toll plaza. i've moved the emeryville camera. over on the left, you see the toll plaza itself. half dozen cars in each lane back-up there. that stretches to the right

where the metering lights are on. that's the reason for the lag. we'll look at the maps and show you it's not so bad down the eastshore freeway. down to the south bay, just northbound 101, typically slow stretch there. as well as 85. not so bad the rest of the way. >> thank you. big-time star power is now behind the 49ers bid to host a super bowl. steve young and george seeford are lathed all right. we are back with more of today's thirst-day thursday, we ran out of chatter, we ran out of time in the opening to talk to you about "kinky boots." we had a good time at the show, the audience was eating it up. >> look what's happening here.

the two male drag queens stars. >> it's a lot of fun and -- >> harvey firestein wrote the book and cyndi lauper did the score. >> it was a terrific book. >> and jason kennedy is here with the celebrity scoop for tv and movies. you just flew in? >> i'm running on about two hours of sleep. if i say something that's weird, let's go right past it. >> we love you, anyway. >> let's go with the movies, where should we go this weekend? >> how about "scary movie 17" -- just kidding. it's actually "scary movie 5" it's charlie sheen and lindsay lohan. they'll be at the premiere tonight in los angeles. if that's not your speed, how about "42." about jackie robinson. >> i saw one review, five stars for this. >> i've heard nothing but great reviews. or if you're feeling nostalgic

"jurassic park 3-d" is in theaters. >> it didn't do as well as we thought it would. >> what if you want to cozy up and home at watch a movie. >> i wasn't impressed with the movies that came out on dvd this week. so let me suggest seeing some movies that were nominated for an oscar, "les mis" is out right now, "lincoln" is out right now and "zero dark thirty." and mtv movie awards is going down this weekend, rebel wilson, who was in bridesmaids. brad pitt is going to be there, kim kardashian, brad pitt at the mtv awards? it will be great. >> and the battle teams on "the voice." >> next week two players from the each team will go head to head and it will be up to the

coaches to see who moves on. >> you've got to choose between your babies. >> what do you think of the combo of the hosts together? >> i like it. it's a new breed of people. it's a good change, in my opinion. i really, really honestly enjoy the show this year. >> now ryan seacrest, your pal, had an issue with one of those s.w.a.t. rolls that went up to his house. >> let's not give them the information, never mind. >> the more we talk about this, the more people are doing it, in my opinion. there was a report that the people are men, we're going into his home yesterday. there was a security guard there, the police got there. security guard was like hey, everything is fine and the police contacted ryan and he said that everything was fine. a laundry list of stars, this keeps happening to. last week alone it happened to justin timberlake and selena gomez. >> they have to raise the penalty. >> have they ever caught anybody yet doing this stuff? >> i think they realized it was a kid. there was a 12-year-old kid that got charged one time. it's not fun, kids, don't do it, it's not funny.

>> they should have to pay back every dime -- l.a. doesn't have the kind of money to be paying their s.w.a.t. teams. >> let's talk about a new song, psy. >> 1.5 views on youtube, how the heck -- billion, i should say, views on youtube. it's called "gentleman" his new single, it drops this friday and there's going to be a dance with it and he's performing it this weekend. >> do you know anything about it? >> they're keeping it very undercover. low key. but there will be a new dance. so we can practice it. when i come next time -- come on. >> it will be fun. >> no. >> anyway. thanks, jason. >> love you. >> you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. to protect your kids in the digital world, coming up, right after this. n honks ] ♪

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to remind you that you're someone very special. now discover caramel apple filled werther's original. ♪ the middle of this special moment and i need to run off to the bathroom. ♪ i'm fed up with always having to put my bladder's needs ahead of my daughter. ♪ so today, i'm finally talking to my doctor about overactive bladder symptoms. [ female announcer ] know that gotta go feeling? ask your doctor about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents, for 24 hours. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma, or can not empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. get emergency medical help right away if your face, lips, throat or tongue swells. toviaz can cause blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and decreased sweating. do not drive, operate machinery or do unsafe tasks

until you know how toviaz affects you. the most common side effects are dry mouth and constipation. talk to your doctor about toviaz. they went to the birthplace of cheddar -- to see what inspired our rich, full flavor. we're pretty sure they're never coming back. cracker barrel. it's cheddar, perfected. and now, our extra sharp is individually wrapped for any time. millions of us use social media every day. whether it's for posting pictures to facebook, joining chat rooms or sending out twits. >> some of us don't live a life. >> what you put on the internet can live forever. and have an impact on your future. so here to help you make a very

good digital first impression is fay de marchand, if i just read it phonetically in french. >> and jennifer is a child and adolescent sigh kol jistd and the author of "choodhood recovery." >> we've always made first impressions in person and now there's a generation that really is making their first impression online, right? >> they don't know any difference. and it is so important. it takes three to five seconds to make a first impression in person. i say it takes five to seven seconds to make a digital first impression. let's face it, people are googling names, if you're going on an interview, 75% of hr consultants are doing a google search before you even come in for the interview. >> you better be careful. >> a lot of kids are younger and they put stuff up that they shouldn't. and they don't know that it's going to affect them long-term. >> we talk about this all the

time, right? teenagers, young adults are so in the moment. they think it's fun, hey, look what i'm doing. i'll show you a picture of me doing a keg stand at the party. down the road that's one of the first things that's going to come up. >> show and tell. >> they don't think about the fact that a future boss might see that and not look upon them favorably and they might not get a job or get into college. >> well you can't explain your circumstances. >> when you googled around, what did you find about young people? >> i started my program at new york university because my students would friend me to build out social media campaigns and as i would be their friend for a week they would forget. i would open up my facebook account to salacious status updates, racy photos, drinking photos, a kid doing i don't even want to say it on tv. >> we want to know, sadly. >> to think about how that impacts even your self-esteem. we hear about all of these young

women who -- put these, what they think are okay photos up that then get passed around. the new thing on instagram is beauty pageants with 'tweens where they're putting up pictures of four girls and everyone votes on who is the prettiest. >> the bullying, all the things that go along with it. >> it's so important to be a digital parent these days. it's not, we used to teach our kids how to ride a bike and how to do the kind of simple social and emotional skills. today, parenting is, it's so important to be a digital parent. >> what do you do, your kids on face boog and twitter. are you looking at their account every so often. >> they don't like you looking over their shoulder. >> what should you do? >> you've got to be involved. you've got to be a responsible parent. i always say to parents, are you on facebook? are you on instagram? you need to be empowered. >> you need to be empowered and you would have rules on your

child riding a bike at certain times. so there have to be rules and limits around their digital use, their internet usage. and you need to really have a conversation with them about the what the expectations are and what they will lose if they don't meet those expectations. do you take away the internet? they need it for school. but there are filters, you can block that stuff. so you have to be an empowered, involved parent. >> thank you, ladies. >> so glad mine are grown now. thanks, ladies. you can find more help on our website, k klgandhoda.com which i hear is really great. >> for help around the house, our favorite handyman, lou manfredini will help you fix those pesky problems, right after this. cheese contest, the cheese judges awarded cracker barrel a gold for cheddar. and that's high-praise. because after tasting wheels of cheese, wedges of cheese and bricks of cheese... our aged reserve's rich, full flavor

was considered... the champion of cheese. cracker barrel. it's cheddar, perfected. now you be the judge. enjoy a champion cheese, anytime. [ female announcer ] special k popcorn chips. 28 delicious chips for 120 calories. freedom to enjoy. what will you gain when you lose? find them in the cracker aisle. what will you gain when you lose? boredc'mon give it a boost. with healthy look crème gloss from l'oreal paris. go from mousy to glossy with lots of amazing tones. it's low commitment, too. boost what you've got - a little or a lot. go from mousy to glossy with l'oreal's healthy look.

time for another installment of ask lou, where you submit your home questions for easy solutions to your household problems.

>> "today" contributor lou manfredini host of the show house smart. our first question comes from valer valerie. her question is, do not want to buy new cabinets, how do you paint cabinets to match our granite countertops. >> matching your granite is tough. but you can complement your granite by bringing it back to life. this is a kit by rustoleum, called cabinet transformation. 200 square feet for about $150. you use a deglosser, this is the old cabinet door right here. you spray a little deglosser. you take the gloss off of the cabinets themselves and you wipe it away. now you wipe that away. the base -- >> kind of like a matte finish. >> now you put a base coat on that you paint that comes with the kit. >> so it will adhere. >> then. yes, the final coating is what you get as the glaze over the top. >> would you need two coats or

just one? >> just one. 30 different colors, you can literally transform your cabinets. >> here's christine's question. when we lift the plunger on top of the bathtub faucet to direct the water to the showerhead, only some of the water is directed to the showerhead and the rest of the water is still coming out of the faucet. >> this action on the tub spout there's a little valve that's leaking. you can't replace that but you can replace the spout. these spouts either unscrew, literally, righty-tighty, lefty-loosy. or on the bottom of the spout is a notch where you can take the screwdriver and you loosen the fitting. when you pull the spout out, this little copper pipe is hanging out here like this. you buy the new spout. you slide the new spout back on. tighten this. and there you go.

now she's going to have plenty of power in her shower. >> here's for andrea. i rent and our bathroom fan has always sounded louder than a plane taking off, how can i fix it? >> because you rent, you take the cover off of the bath fan. kathie lee, unplug that for me, if i can. >> this whole motor assembly comes out of the fan. at the hardware store you can buy a new motor for $20. you need a special screwdriver. this is called a torque screwdriver, it has a little bit different tip than normal screwdrivers. there are two little torque screws that you loosen. replace the motor. put it back in. >>ky do that. >> look, lou, i fixed that. >> suzy wants to know, she would like to install her own window blinds in her apartment bus she's intimidated. >> this is awesome. simple fit custom shades by ready-shade. you order these online. you measure -- >> they have lots of sizes? >> any size you want.

many different colors and sizes. cellular window shades. >> okay. >> very nice. no tools needed. >> what? >> here we go. >> watch me, there's an adhesive tape that you put inside. you put it up in place, carefully. and -- >> oh my gosh! it's amiracle. >> we love our lou. >> only lou knows how to do stuff like that. >> and they're affordable. >> that is extraordinary. >> that makes my day. >> of course it did. we'll tell you what to toss and when to toss it. >> your go-to guy for spring cleaning. but first this is "today" at nbc. [ female announcer ] safeway presents

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this is the only time of the

year when we actually throw some things away and organize our living spaces. >> instead of dreading all that spring cleaning we're going to show you how to make it easy and fun. rebecca dolgen is editor in chief of "the nest." >> let's start throwing things away, shall we? >> here's a concept. >> your toothbrush. don't wait to go to your dentist appointment to get that new toothbrush. every two to three months. >> four months. >> is okay. but really by three months. >> because of bacteria? >> a million bacteria. nobody wants to be the first to put that in their mouth. >> and what if you dip it in listerine. >> that could get it going for a little while longer. >> old makeup. a lot of us can't even remember the last time we bought eyeliner or mascara. but really every four to six months you should be changing this. even though it's not gone yet. >> that can cause con jun

conjunctiveitis. everyone knows you can throw it in your dishwasher, but after about four weeks, you need to get rid of it. >> we all know this is gross, but it actually will stop working after a year because the bristles sort of deteriorate a little bit. after one year. >> or fewer. >> now, pillows. >> this is so often forgotten. but really you have to replace your pillows every two years. >> even if your pillow covers are on them. >> why? >> you want to know why? >> it's going to gross you out? >> not bed bugs. but dust mites and their droppings. >> after two years, one third of the weight of your pillows is from durst mites. >> what? >> droppings? >> i know. >> this one looks really old, too. don't touch it. >> now we're going to move to

cleaning. these are fun things that you have at home. so everyone after they kind of say they're chopping up herbs or whatever you have here for your board here. put a limben on it and it will just clear that right off. >> it's an anti-bacterial. it's really great. you know how your iran can gel a lit bit funky? >> that's one of the few chores i like to do, i like to iron. >> what did you put on there? >> salt on a piece of paper. >> take a look at how gunky it is. you just -- put this on here. >> what are you doing? >> like that. what's it going to do. the gunk is supposed to come off. >> make sure you get it. >> it's starting to wear off. >> exactly. >> cleaning up. >> copper pots, basically you want to use ketchup, it will

have little bit of a reaction. >> acidity? >> yes. >> i have a frame over here, too. >> come on. >> see, how fantastic is that? >> you can see it starting to bubble a little bit. >> what is it doing to our stomachs. >> exactly. you don't want to know. >> same drill here. >> yes. >> take us to the keyboard. basically a lot of people use napkins or whatever to clean off their keyboard. you want to use a coffee filter. they have no wood particles. and it's not going to scratch. sometimes you feel like you're moving dust around. this actually gets it up. >> ten seconds. >> use an eraser to get the smudges off. >> the makeup off your phone. >> tomorrow, how to drop ten pounds by memorial day. >> and superstar, beach volleyball player gabrielle reece. there is no mass-produced human.

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where queen mattresses start at just $699. sleep number. comfort. individualized. to find your store, visit sleepnumber.com. good morning. i'm marla tellez. >> and i'm jon kelley. good morning, everybody. we are learning new details this morning about the bay area teacher accused of hitting a student and that principal of the school is now speaking out.

nbc bay area's christie smith is in concorde with what's being said about these abuse allegations. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jon. i can tell you that the teacher is on leave. and there is an investigation going on as to what really happened in this classroom. some say the video shows the teacher hit a student but others say that's not the whole story. the video was obtained by claycord.com which claims to show the teacher hit a student at least once. it sounds like there is a slight impact but you can also hear quite a bit of giggling on the tape. the principal tells us that students told her this was a facebook posting and that's how it came to her attention. this morning, some students they they were surprised by this teacher's behavior. but some parents said this is a great, dedicated teacher who coordinates a number of

activities for the students and that it isn't what it seems. have you seen it? >> yes. >> reporter: what do you think? >> i didn't actually think she would hit a student. >> reporter: is that what you saw on the tape? >> yeah. >> she uses this piece of paper as an ability to touch and to make contact with students as encouragement, as a sign of caring. i don't see that she was angry at all. >> i'm able to get a very clear idea of what occurred. again, i wouldn't want to share any personal information as it might interfere with the investigation. again, we're talking about a personnel issue. it's a confidential matter. and it's a very serious one. and the school and the district are taking it very, very seriously. >> reporter: the principal also tells us that concord police are involved in this investigation along with the district. we tried to contact police but haven't heard back yet. it's unclear how long this investigation might take place. but the principal tells